Supposed To Be Our Time
by SomniusLumen
Summary: It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Brittana, Klaine, Finchel, Fabrevans, Tike, Wemma. Rated for murder, drugs, self-harm, and profanity.
1. Run Joey Run

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 1: **Run Joey Run

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

* * *

Santana Lopez hummed quietly as she looked through her closet, admiring the wide array of dresses she brought with her. She had to find the _perfect _one for tonight. After all, she had a date with the _perfect_ Brittany S. Pierce.

Aside from the anticipation of an extremely great date and some sexy time afterward, Santana was beyond elated. New Directions had made it past the preliminary competition for Nationals—a task they had failed last year due to some hobbit and her Frankenstein boyfriend. They were part of the top ten show choirs of the nation. Now, they simply had to crush Vocal Adrenaline to assure their victory. It was a piece of cake; after all, Santana had helped bring down the Warblers, Aural Intensity, and any other pathetic group that dared to stand in her way. With her fierce Troubletones and her über set of friends in New Directions (which strangely sounded like Nude Erections, now that she repeated it in her head), Santana knew victory was three songs away.

The group had spent the entire day rehearsing their numbers. _Paradise By the Dashboard Light _was a total bitch to choreograph, especially with Finn's awful sense of orientation. At least the dwarf could dance; otherwise Santana would have totally gone all Lima Heights Adjacent on her. It didn't help that Quinn was struggling to even perform the _Edge of Glory _number, let alone even learning the lyrics.

Pushing all the stress aside with a simple brush of her hair, Santana finally selected a voluptuous red dress that hung loosely on her frame, but tightly around her hips and waist, accentuating everything she wanted. It ended right above her knees, and she had the perfect set of heels to match.

"Have a hot date with Brittany?" Santana shuddered as she heard Sugar Motta's high voice. However, she couldn't complain; the girl was the money behind the Troubletones.

"Yup," Santana replied calmly as she applied some foxy red lipstick. Sugar smiled gleefully and jumped on the bed, giggling slightly. Sugar always brought a weird sense of joy and energy into the room; something Santana slightly envied.

"So basically, we have three days to rehearse and then we get to crush those other show choirs, right?" Sugar repeated what had been said to the groups after they had placed in the top ten. Santana nodded absentmindedly, her mind drifting toward Brittany. Sometime in her thoughts, Sugar had left and Santana was left to finish applying her make-up. This date had to be perfect. Santana wanted to keep everything perfect especially with the impending and inevitable date coming right around the corner: graduation.

It wasn't that Santana wasn't excited about graduating. In fact, she could not wait to be out of McKinley. But she was worried for Brittany. She knew the other girl was so carefree that sometimes grades were not a priority for her (not that they were a priority for Santana, but learning to copy Straight-A Fabray was a skill she knew she would forever hold). In case the two had to separate, Santana wanted the perfect date to keep them together forever.

For a moment, Santana felt goosebumps rise all over her body. She shivered, quickly passing it off that the hotel room was too damn cold and her bare shoulders were just reacting. But something made her turn around. Nothing was in the room, and Santana giggled to herself. Although, for a moment, she felt as if someone was watching her. _If some sleezy perv is watching me, I swear I will_—

Santana's phone suddenly vibrated and she eyed it for a moment before reaching for it. When she glanced at the screen, however, she giggled. Brittany had sent her a picture of a crayon drawing: The first symbol was a lopsided drawing of an eye—brown, like Santana's. Then, the next picture was actually a set of words. It read: "Mrs. minus the ring." The final picture was a smiley face, with a pony-tail and a cheerio's uniform. Santana blushed as she deciphered the message: _I miss you._

Whoever said Brittany wasn't smart? She was so innocent and beautiful. It almost made Santana feel that she had to protect the girl from anything that could possibly taint her pious purity.

Grabbing her purse, Santana marched outside her hotel room. Mr. Schue, Ms. Pillsbury, Coach Beiste, and Coach Sylvester had mapped out the rooms to accommodate everyone: Mercedes and Kurt, Santana and Sugar, Brittany and Quinn, Tina and Rachel, Joe and Rory, Sam and Mike, Puck and Finn, and Artie and Blaine. Those 8 rooms were booked for New Directions, along with 2 more rooms for the chaperones.

Taking the elevator down, Santana smiled to herself as she only imagined how the perfect date would unfold.

* * *

"You and Sam are so cute!" Kurt squealed as he gushed over their newest Facebook picture together. Mercedes blushed, but playfully punched Kurt's shoulder.

"At least he didn't lie to me and tell me he was interested in Berry!" Mercedes laughed jovially with Kurt. Truthfully, both were slightly tipsy. Kurt had snuck in a bottle mixed with vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and an orange-flavored liquor: essentially, a homemade cosmo. The two had promised each other if they won the preliminaries for Nationals that they would celebrate together by a drunk chick flick night.

"Can you believe I thought he was gay?" Kurt hummed slightly, "but he is so fine! But so is Blaine!" Kurt blushed slightly as he continued to gush about attractive guys. Mercedes continued to laugh, excitement running through her veins. The two then shifted to sit on the bed beside each other, starting a re-run of _Mean Girls_. By now, the two had memorized basically the entire movie.

"So, Kurt," Mercedes held her best friend's hand, "how excited are you to get into NYADA?" She squeezed his hand. It was a superstition she had: whenever she talked about someone else's future, she always made sure to squeeze their hand, as if passing on her hopes to them.

"Honestly, I think it'll be awesome! I'm so excited! Finn, Rachel and I in New York, with Blaine coming next year! It's perfect!" Kurt grinned, sighing slightly as he propped his back against the wooden frame of the bed. There was a momentary silence as Cady Heron pounced on Regina George, only for the movie to go back to normal.

The two friends continued to chat, although Mercedes felt goosebumps tickle her shoulder. Attributing them to the alcohol, Mercedes brushed off the occasional uneasy feeling. After all, she was at the top and nothing could bring her tumbling down. She was going to show the world that Mercedes Jones was and is a star.

Yet, she swore it wasn't the alcohol that made her feel like someone was watching her. But instead of running the night for Kurt, Mercedes continued to smile and nod her head, excited to spend the next three days with her closest friends.

* * *

_I watched quietly as everyone trickled toward the lobby that next morning. It was unfortunate that she had to go. She knew too much._

* * *

Rachel's eyes shot open angrily. While Tina was a perfect roommate for her to practice her ranges as she slept, something was disturbing her sleep. Sitting up quickly, Rachel turned her head toward Tina. Surprisingly, her protégé was fast asleep on her bed with needles and dresses beside her. Rachel heard the slamming again and groaned when she noticed Tina was in too deep of a slumber to answer the ratchet noise.

Slipping into her slippers (can't risk catching a cold!), Rachel walked toward the door. As she made her way, she glanced at the time. It was three o'clock in the morning. Who would dare ruin the sleep of Rachel Berry as she prepared for one of the biggest nights of her life?

When Rachel opened the door, however, she was surprised. At her door was a pale Ms. Pillsbury, who looked as if she had seen a ghost, She urged Rachel to wake up Tina and meet her at the lobby in ten minutes. Rachel had no time to ask any questions before Ms. Pillsbury scurried to the next room, waking up Kurt and Mercedes.

As she looked at the other side, Rachel noticed Quinn and Brittany yawning and rubbing their eyes. Rachel winked at the light, her face scrunching in annoyance. Quickly pivoting her heel, Rachel marched toward Tina and woke her up.

"Huh? Wha? I'm here!" Tina mumbled as Rachel repeated Ms. Pillsbury's solemn warning. Rachel predicted it was a surprise rehearsal. She had heard that some Broadway directors would bring in their cast members at obscene hours in the night to reinforce the power of the scene and teach the stars a new perspective on acting.

Tina quickly shuffled out of the room with Rachel as she, Rachel, Quinn, Brittany, Santana, Mercedes, Sugar and Kurt squeezed on an elevator. They finally reached the lobby, only to be horrified with flashing lights and yellow caution tape. Rachel immediately felt Kurt squeeze her hand, his eyes widened.

"W-What's going on?!" Rachel marched forward, walking to Mr. Schuester. Mr. Schue looked as if he hadn't slept in days, and even Coach Sylvester looked even more unpleasant than usual.

"Rachel, girls and Kurt, please take a seat. The police would like to ask you all some questions—"

"Hold up," Santana raised her index finger, "I am not answering anything without a lawyer." To everyone surprise, it was Sue who replied to Santana's quip.

"Sandbags, this isn't a joke." Sue solemnly replied, her eyes full of brazen fury. Everyone pursed their lips, confused and worried. The elevator sound behind them only frazzled their nerves even more as Coach Beiste and the boys walked into the lobby, similar questions being thrown into the air. Ms. Pillsberry also arrived with Jesse St. James, both adults looking visibly worried.

"Wait, what is going on?" Finn's confused face looked even more confused. He blinked a few times, clearly still adjusting to the bright lights of the lobby. The grim-faced police chief walked forward and shook his head.

"You sixteen students are now suspects of interest," the police chief gravely, "for the murder of a Vocal Adrenaline student."


	2. Don't Stand So Close To Me

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 2: **Don't Stand So Close To Me

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

**Thanks To: **captureit, Santanalover16, and BrittanaGleek4ever for your amazing reviews! I really hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Wait, what is going on?" Finn's confused face looked even more confused. He blinked a few times, clearly still adjusting to the bright lights of the lobby. The grim-faced police chief walked forward and shook his head.

"You sixteen students are now suspects of interest," the police chief gravely, "for the murder of a Vocal Adrenaline student."

Santana immediately grabbed Brittany's hand and held it close. Brittany also looked at Santana and dammit—Santana wanted to erase the fear from Brit's eyes and keep her safe. No one was touching her golden princess. Everyone else seemed to be whispering among each other, but Santana could easily see Rory and Joe looking paler than usual.

"Why us? Just because we're rival show choirs doesn't mean that we would actually kill someone!" Finn yelled loudly. Santana would have normally rolled her eyes, but she had grown accustomed to Finn's theatrics. He would first run his giant hands through his sloppy hair and then throw his hands up in the air and then in front of him when he would freak out. He would also turn redder than Mrs. Pillsbury's hair.

"Son, I need to ask that you calm down," the police chief's stony eyes peered at Finn suspiciously, and immediately Rachel pulled Finn back. Mr. Schue looked so distressed—more than Santana had ever seen him be. Mrs. Pillsbury was actually crying, and even the pregnant Coach Sylvester was getting emotional. Coach Bieste, despite the evident fear on her face, was the one holding the adults together somehow.

"Andrea Cohen," Jesse's dry voice croaked into the lobby, "she was there when I was there too. We failed her a few times, namely because she constantly won the judge's hearts and she had won the Outstanding Soloist Award." Everyone looked downward, as if paying the girl respect.

Rachel, however, blanched. She was suddenly transported back to her sophomore year, when she, Mercedes, Tina, Kurt, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany snuck to Carmel High to recruit Dakota Stanley to train them while Mr. Schue trained with the ill-fated Acafellas. She had begged, with her friend, Rachel not to hire Dakota Stanley. Apparently, they were not allowed to leave no matter the reason.

"I-I remember her," Rachel's large moist eyes suddenly were pulled away from Finn and she stared at the other six members of New Directions who had accompanied her that day. Kurt looked downward at Mercedes, visibly stressed. Rachel couldn't tell if it was the murder or if it was the fact his beauty sleep was disturbed. Then again, Kurt was more down-to-earth than Rachel ever could be.

Mercedes slowly recalled that day, although she fought the urge to giggle. It was that day where Santana, Brittany, and Quinn had persuaded Mercedes to ask out Kurt. But she could still recall the girl throwing up over a trashcan, and to see the covered, bloody body made Mercedes's hangover even worse.

"Look, dwarf, don't go spitting out nonsense. I don't want to get involved any more than we already are!" Santana quipped loudly, almost spitting at the other girl. Rachel retreated silently, but Finn stood up for her defense.

"Santana, stop it. She's as scared as you are." Finn defended Rachel, who continued to look saddened. Brittany also stepped forward and pursed her lips at Finn before talking.

"Finn, please be quiet we're all trying to concentrate here and your Pillsbury Dough Boy physique is just distracting me. I'm sorry." Brittany spoke as politely as she could, hoping not to hurt Finn's feelings. She knew he was sensitive and she wanted to be nice, but he was being too loud.

"Guys, please!" Mr. Schue broke up the impending conflict. Everyone let out a breath they didn't know they were holding in; things were suddenly different. They were embroiled in a murder.

"How do we know she just didn't kill herself?" Tina's meek voice made its way to the front of the lobby. Everyone suddenly noticed her and stared at her accusingly. Mike stood by her side, but also looked a bit confused at Tina's implication.

"I also remember her, and she looked miserable. Maybe the pressure got to be too much for her, and she just wanted to end it." Tina shrugged, looking at Jesse. Jesse narrowed his eyes, and stomped up to Tina with a shaking fist but it was Rachel who intercepted him.

"Tina, while I normally appreciate your astute observations, I have to say that you're completely wrong. Jesse isn't as deranged as," Rachel gulped slightly, as memories of her mother rejecting her quickly resurfaced, "Shelby was. He knew what it was like, and would make sure that she was fine." Jesse looked somewhat grateful to Rachel, although he also looked irritated. He didn't like the way Finn was suddenly eyeing him and Rachel.

"It's a bit strange that you're trying to justify her death," Artie wheeled forward. He pushed up his glasses and stared at Tina. Tina scoffed, placing her hand on her chest in disbelief.

"What are you trying to say?!" Tina yelled, her eyes starting to moisten. Mike threw his hands up in the air and yelled.

"STOP," Mike's quiet voice surprised everyone, "we're never going to solve anything if we keep on arguing and accusing each other of things we know we couldn't do."

"Mike's right," Mrs. Pillsbury nodded her head quickly, wiping her eyes, "why don't we let Officer, um"

"Name's Officer Rutherford." Mike eyed him curiously, looking at Mr. Schue as well. It was Rachel, obviously, who cleared her throat.

"Are you related to Matt Rutherford? H-He was in our glee club before he moved." Rachel brushed back several strands of her hair nervously. The police man nodded firmly, pulling out a pad of paper.

"My nephew," Officer Rutherford commented, "bright kid. Great speed for a football player." Santana chuckled slightly, but quickly stopped when Officer Rutherford stared at her. She and Matt occasionally hooked up during their sophomore year, so she knew him quite well.

"So what? Are you gonna send us all to jail now or something? What do you want?" Puck's angry voice reverberated in the halls of the lobby. Sam tried to place his hand on Puck's shoulder, but Puck shook it off. He had an unexplained raging fury in his eyes as he walked forward. "I know this stupid game. You just want to pin the blame on one of us so you can get your little dainty promotion and move on. Well listen here, officer, you aren't pinning any of us to this crime that we didn't do!" It was Quinn who cleared her throat and walked languidly toward Puck, calming him down. Joe watched from a distance, trusting Quinn completely but not trusting Puck as much.

"Funny you say none of you did it when this was found at the scene of the crime," Officer Rutherford suddenly extracted a clear plastic bag with a label on it. Sugar peered closely, her mouth opening as she saw the tint of blood on the white piece of paper.

"You all are a part of the New Directions, right?" Officer Rutherford asked sarcastically, pulling out the evidence with gloved hands. Everyone discreetly took a step forward, eyeing the piece of evidence curiously.

"It's our setlist…" Rory's jaw dropped as he recognized the Cheerio letterhead that Coach Sylvester had printed the private setlist on before they had left from Ohio. Everyone looked at each other, their comfort levels dropping quickly.

"No one else had a copy of that but us." Joe looked at the ground, his eyes darting from left to right as he tried to process the situation. Officer Rutherford hummed in agreement. Sam then crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Maybe it's that I'm tired and I've seen too many Spielburg movies, but how do you know someone didn't just plant that there? Someone could have broken into our rooms or something!" Sam tried to explain, but Officer Rutherford shook his head.

"That thought came to us as well, but then we replayed the footage from the security camera—"

"That's preposterous. We had strict orders given to these kids to stay put in their bedrooms at night." Coach Beiste argued, pleading with Officer Rutherford.

"Funny you say that, coach." Officer Rutherford pulled out an iPad and started to play the security footage:

"At eleven o'clock, Ms. Lopez walks across the lobby with Ms. Pierce," Officer Rutherford displayed the clips. To everyone's shock, both girls had red stains near the top of their dress. Everyone looked at Santana and Brittany accusingly, although Santana was fuming.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Santana argued, but Mr. Schue held her down and told her to stay silent. Santana heard Coach Sylvester tell Mr. Schue that she should have gone through with her plan of sticking thumb-tacks outside of their doors.

"Seven minutes later, enter a very bubbly Ms. Jones and Mr. Hummel," Office Rutherford continued to point at the screen where Mercedes and Kurt were skipping across the lobby, their hands red. Mercedes and Kurt looked at each other worriedly.

"And precisely thirty seconds after that, Ms. Cohen-Chang runs across the lobby with dripping hands." Officer Rutherford indicated. Everyone gasped again, and suddenly Santana, Brittany, Mercedes, Kurt, and Tina were being glanced at worriedly.

"That's only five of them," Jesse argued, "why don't we just focus on them instead of the sixteen?" Jesse's eyes fluttered toward Rachel momentarily, but Rachel turned her head and stared at Finn.

"Well, I would normally agree with you Mr. St. James, but keep on watching please." Officer Rutherford yawned slightly, holding the screen as properly as he could.

Rachel watched with wide eyes as she was seen running and wiping her eyes, a blatant stain on her nightdress. Finn and Tina looked at her confusedly, and Rachel merely looked away. Puck then groaned when he, Sam, and Mike were parading down the hallway, cheering loudly. All three had stained hands and shirts, and their raucous nature only made them seem even more suspicious. Finn looked at Puck, clearly confused.

"This all occurred within five minutes of the entrance of Ms. Jones and Mr. Hummel," Officer Rutherford noted.

"Quinn, Joe, Rory, Sugar, Artie, Blaine, and Finn haven't been seen. Is there more?" Jesse asked somewhat vindictively. Finn made a move toward him, but Mr. Schue held him back gently.

"Yes, see initially we had this footage. But when we stumbled upon the body an hour ago, our coroner estimated that the body had been laying there for about three to four hours," Officer Rutherford explained as calmly as he could. The seven kids mentioned by Jesse suddenly looked confused, although it was Quinn and Artie who caught on quickly.

"Wait!" Artie protested, but Officer Rutherford cut him off with a simple wave of his hand. He pressed play on another clips, and the group watched attentively.

Quinn and Joe were walking side by side, giggling to each other. For a moment, Sam thought he felt something but then looked at Mercedes, who still looked mortified. Everyone could easily see the dark red on their hands, and even Quinn had some on her chest. Joe and Quinn immediately started shaking their heads, trying to make sounds of protest but Officer Rutherford shook his head.

"That was around ten oh three," Officer Rutherford spoke aloud, "and seventeen minutes later, we see this," Artie tried his best to wheel away, but Santana stuck out her foot and jammed his wheel.

Artie and Blaine were walking together across the lobby, clearly in a deep conversation. Kurt stared at Blaine, confused. Blaine looked away, unable to explain himself. It looked like Blaine was crying, and Artie was talking to him. Blaine had a heavy jacket over himself, but what made everyone suspicious was when Blaine held up a finger and smiled, running to the trashcan and dumping something into it.

"Wait, we can explain how that might look really weird but—" Blaine was cut off by Officer Rutherford, who then pulled out another plastic bag. Inside was a bloody knife!

"This was found in the trashcan that Mr. Anderson had used." Officer Rutherford's voice wavered between calm and urgent. "But, we haven't sent in for an analysis yet."

"That's preposterous!" Artie tried to argue, but Officer Rutherford shook his head to silence the other boy. Artie looked pale and worried, as if he was about to cry.

"Funnily enough, five minutes later we see Mr. Hudson enter. Notice his body language." Officer Rutherford pointed toward the boy who ran into the lobby, panting with a red face. He ran his hands through his hair, and kicked a chair in seemingly frustration. Silently, everyone watched him tell the desk attendant that he was fine. He walked toward the edge of the screen and looked around before taking off his sweater and dumping it into a different trashcan.

"And Mr. Hudson, you must have hated that sweater. After all, there was crusty, dry blood all over it, am I right?" Officer Rutherford held another plastic package with one of Finn's large sweaters, a splatter of dry blood over it.

"Look, that's—I mean, I can explain—" Officer Rutherford told Finn to be quiet until he finished the clip. Everyone watched Rory and Sugar enter the screen, close to eleven o'clock. Officer Rutherford increased the volume, and everyone could hear their conversation:

"I can't believe we did it, Sugar!" Rory grinned as Sugar held his hand. Sugar smiled up at him and squeezed his hand.

"You were great! You killed her! I'm so proud of you, Rory! Now, maybe, you won't get deported!" Sugar squealed on the screen and hugged Rory. Everyone gawked at the duo, accusing them.

Everyone suddenly noticed something: when they had entered the room, they were standing beside each other. Now, there was a visible distance between each member of the New Directions. They all looked at each other, as if accusing each other of murder.

* * *

_This officer was becoming too meddlesome. I had to stop him._

* * *

"None of you are allowed to leave this hotel until we identify the murderer. As a result, you will not be able to participate in the competition." Everyone suddenly started to protest, yelling loudly. Santana was screaming obscenities in Spanish, while Brittany was accusing Lord Tubbington. Rachel was throwing her hands in the air, crying about her ruined dreams and Finn was saying something about their wedding. Sugar and Rory and Joe were trying to say that they were new students and shouldn't be included in the punishment. Quinn and Tina were somewhat silent, but were glaring at the police officer. Mike, Sam, Puck and Artie were trying to argue with Officer Rutherford, but he was ignoring them. Sue and Will were arguing with each other, Beiste trying to pull Sue away and Emma trying to break up the argument. Kurt and Blaine were arguing about lying to each other, and Mercedes looked sick and was coughing loudly. Jesse and Finn were at each other's throats, arguing about Rachel. Eventually, everyone was yelling and fighting. They no longer saw friends or teammates: everyone was a suspect. People were screaming to each other to confess and to let everyone else free from this nightmare. Everyone continued to scream and shout until Jesse finally clapped his hands. Everyone turned and stared at him.

"I don't know which one of you did it, but you will pay." Jesse's eyes met Rachel's for a brief moment before he took the nearest elevator back into his room. Finn looked at Rachel suspiciously, but stayed silent.

"We will bring you in for interrogating tomorrow morning. From now on, all sixteen of you will be monitored—yes, Mr. Chang?" Officer Rutherford rolled his eyes when he noticed the Asian teen raising his hand. However, his face looked as if he had watched something horrific happen.

"W-Who wrote that?" Mike pointed a trembling finger to the wall above the body. Officer Rutherford looked around and his eyes widened. Written in red on the wall was an ominous message:

_Amidst the chaos, I will prey. One of you will not live to see another day. _


	3. Cough Syrup

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 3: **Cough Syrup

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

**Thanks To: **gleekalert and Santanalover16 for your reviews! I really hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Happy early Thanksgiving, by the way! (If you celebrate it! ;D)

* * *

"We will bring you in for interrogating tomorrow morning. From now on, all sixteen of you will be monitored—yes, Mr. Chang?" Officer Rutherford rolled his eyes when he noticed the Asian teen raising his hand. However, his face looked as if he had watched something horrific happen.

"W-Who wrote that?" Mike pointed a trembling finger to the wall above the body. Officer Rutherford looked around and his eyes widened. Written in red on the wall was an ominous message:

_Amidst the chaos, I will prey. One of you will not live to see another day._

Immediately, Mr. Schue, Coach Beiste, Coach Sylvester and Mrs. Pillsbury started herding the kids into the elevator. However, Coach Beiste, after pushing a resistant Finn and Puck into an elevator, stayed behind to talk to Officer Rutherford. After all, it was her duty as a teacher, right?

"Officer Rutherford," Beiste tipped her head forward as the police officer took several photos of the message. He gave her a quick glance as he saved the images.

"Yes, coach?" Officer Rutherford narrowed his eyes slightly at the woman in front of him, curious as to what she had to say. She looked surprisingly unsure of herself, as she tried to find the right words. He almost did a double-take when he noticed her eyes glistening.

"Look, I don't know much about crime and stuff, but I do know those sixteen kids. Sure, they may fight with one another and steal boyfriends and girlfriends and stuff, but in the end they always stick together. I know the evidence looks bad, but I promise you none of those kids would dare think of hurting someone! At our school, they've been bullied so—" The reaction on Officer Rutherford's face made Beiste suddenly realize she revealed too much.

"They've been bullied physically?" Officer Rutherford arched his right eyebrow, curiously staring at Coach Beiste. She stuttered a few times before thinking of an appropriate answer to give the stout police officer.

"Yes." She finally relented, and let out her breath. She looked worriedly as the police officer scribbled something down on a napkin and stuffed it into his pocket.

"You do realize that I now have substantial and emotional proof against these kids, correct? Nothing is going to stop me from finding out the truth. Look, I know this is difficult, but there is reasonable suspicion that at least one of these kids was involved in a murder." Officer Rutherford scratched his head slightly, sighing wistfully.

"But sir, you have to understand," Coach Beiste pleaded, "none of my kids would hurt anyone like that! I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of that!" Beiste's tears were now flowing down her face, and Officer Rutherford almost wanted to give the massive woman a tissue.

"Look," Officer Rutherford placed his hand on the trembling coach's shoulder, "I'll do my best. If you can bring me any proof that would save these sixteen kids, then I'll gladly look at it. But until then, I'm afraid I can't do anything." He gave Coach Beiste a firm smile before finally departing from the scene of the crime, his assistants coming through and helping assemble the lobby back to its original design.

Coach Beiste looked up at the ceiling, silently wondering what madman was after these innocent kids?

* * *

_Success._

* * *

Upstairs, however, was chaos. People were screaming loudly, saying that they don't want to sleep with a murderer in the room. Even Coach Sylvester's best attempts couldn't placate the kids, so finally she had enough. Seemingly using magic, she pulled out a megaphone and blasted it. Will was thankful that they had basically reserved the entire floor. While Sue continued to lambast the kids, Will whispered to Emma:

"I'm going to go check up on Jesse," Will disclosed. Emma nodded in support and Will then snuck off, taking the stairs to find Jesse.

"Wait, what makes you think that Sugar won't try to kill me? She and Irish-freak over there are the murderers!" Santana yelled, pointing her fingers at Sugar and Rory who both furiously shook their heads.

"Yeah, and I know Lord Tubbington was in Paris, trying to rob some jewel so he's not the murderer." Brittany confirmed, putting 'Kiki' away.

"Well, how about your little bloody stains, huh?" Sam quipped at the two girls, defending Rory. To everyone's surprise, it was Mercedes who stepped forward to defend her girls.

"Why don't you first explain what you three boys were doing, cheering loudly as if you just murdered someone?" Mercedes placed her hands on her hips, clearly still hungover and cranky. "You told me you guys weren't gonna do anything tonight."

"Mercedes, are you accusing me of murder?" Sam looked flabbergasted, but Mercedes took that moment to run to the bathroom to vomit. Emma looked slightly alarmed, but stood her ground.

"Sam, she's just hungover." Kurt tried to assure Sam, who still looked crestfallen.

"Maybe it's just an act! Mercedes and Kurt conveniently using alcohol as an excuse, and they teamed up to conspire with Mike, Puck, and Sam to get back at Vocal Adrenaline!" Rachel's face brightened as she babbled onward. Everyone rolled their eyes, but Finn stood quietly in the corner. Without a doubt, he, Blaine, Artie, Sugar, and Rory certainly looked the guiltiest. Everyone else had circumstantial evidence, but these five had solid evidence that seemed to pin them as some type of psychopath.

"You know, you are insane enough to be a murderer." Kurt retorted, snapping his fingers at Rachel. She looked affronted, and turned away, claiming she wouldn't degrade herself by talking to someone as ludicrous as Kurt.

"Frankenteen, Harry Potter, Wheelchair, Rojo Caliente, and Leprechaun. In my room, now!" Sue seemed to read Finn's mind as he, Blaine, Artie, Sugar and Rory were taken into Sue's room. Santana, Brittany, Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel, Puck, Sam, and Mike continued to argue amongst themselves. Tina, Joe, and Quinn stood silently, clearly exhausted.

Quinn wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed Joe's hand and marched into her shared room with Brittany. Santana looked miffed and started slamming on the door, claiming Quinn and Joe were planning on murdering her girl.

Suddenly, the elevator doors opened and Beiste walked out, looking mortified and terrified. She looked at the kids still outside, and immediately could trace the dots. Sue must have cornered the five kids with the most evidence on them, and Quinn and Joe must have done something.

It killed her, though, to know that one of these kids was lying. As much as she believed in them, she couldn't lie: the evidence was startlingly strong. Thus, Beiste cleared her throat and made a game-changing decision:

"Lopez, Pierce, Cohen-Chang, and Jones," Beiste wiggled her finger for them to follow her. For a moment, Beiste thought she heard drilling coming from Sue's room, but decided to ignore it. She walked into Emma's room and sat the girls down.

"You four were there for me, along with Motta, when Coot was," Beiste looked away, fluttering tears away," and I trust you four. I love all of ya, but you five are special to me. Without you five, I would have never got the courage to leave him." Beiste choked several times as the expressions on the faces of the four girls softened.

"What are you trying to say?" Santana narrowed her eyes, however, at Beiste. Beiste looked around nervously, clenching her hands together for support.

"I want you four to investigate the murder," Beiste quickly requested, "I know you four are busy with Nationals, but if you don't solve this case, there won't be any Nationals. Lopez is scary enough, and with Pierce, Cohen-Chang, and Jones providing back-up, I know you girls can figure it out." The four girls looked at each other suspiciously. But Mercedes was the first to break the ice by apologizing to Santana and Brittany.

"We're TroubleTones," Mercedes giggled through her tears, "and we're fierce, fem, and fantastic. You girls are my sisters. And Tina, you're one of my best friends since sophomore year. I'm sorry." Tina quickly nodded her head.

"I'm sorry two. You guys are really close to me too, and I can't imagine any of you guys doing it. In fact, I can't imagine any of us committing murder!" Tina's face blanched at the word. Santana and Brittany were joining pinkies again, smiling.

"I guess you guys are right. And besides, we are winning Nationals, aite? Ain't nobody stopping me from getting my groove on!" Santana chuckled with the other girls. So then, it was decided that these four girls would band together to find the murderer.

* * *

_Interesting._

* * *

"This is so ridiculous," Quinn protested as she leaned against her bed. Joe sat beside her, trying to offer support. In reality, he was terrified. He was hiding something from Quinn, but he also felt like she was hiding something from him. In fact, he felt like everyone was hiding a secret.

"I know," Joe quietly commented, his eyes focusing on the opened closet. The hotel rooms each had one shared closet for their guests. It was a glint under the light that attracted his attention. Without making another sound, Joe walked over to the closet and ignored Quinn's protests.

'Wait! Joe! Stop!" Quinn yelled. But it was too late, Joe had seen it. She continued to plead, and Joe almost relented when he saw tears in Quinn's eyes, but when he pulled out the shiny hilt, he was shocked to see a knife—no bigger than a sharp, kitchen knife—with fresh blood on it. Joe's jaw dropped as he stared at Quinn. She was sputtering and trying to redeem herself, but Joe looked terrified.

"I-It isn't what it looks like!" Quinn yelled, but it was too late. Joe sped past her and out the door, Quinn following behind him. Everyone suddenly opened their doors and watched Joe speed away. Everyone looked at Quinn before running out of their rooms.

"What happened?!" Rachel was the first to ask, her large brown eyes full of concern. Quinn sank to the ground, crying hysterically. But when Joe reached the end of the hall, and after vomiting on the carpet, he turned around and pointed at Quinn with a trembling finger.

"S-She has a bloody knife!"

* * *

Everyone looked at Quinn solemnly. Quinn looked away, unable to bear all nineteen pairs of eyes burning into her.

"Q, I'm going to ask this again," Sue coldly looked into her former head-cheerleader's eyes, "is this knife yours?" Quinn bit her lips, but looked downward. Quinn suddenly belted out a large gasp for air and started crying uncontrollably, nodding her head.

Everyone looked up and hissed in pain, as if they had stepped on a needle. Everyone looked alarmed at Quinn.

Santana knew Quinn had teetered near crazy in the beginning of the year, but to believe that her best friend was capable of murder? Quinn couldn't even abort her child!

But Finn was beginning to glare at Quinn, angry that she would risk their chances to change their lives all for a petty rivalry! As Finn advanced toward Quinn, his fingers balling into fists, all of his pent-up anger and frustration was released.

"Quinn, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" Finn bellowed loudly. He felt someone—probably Rachel—try to pull him back, but he shook off their hand. "I can't believe you're the same girl I freaking dated two years ago!" Finn saw Quinn flinch he intentionally discarded their fling last year. Everyone stood transfixed by the yelling and the screaming. Joe looked heartbroken, and even Brittany was sniffling.

"Finn, you might need to calm down," Will tried to place his hand on Finn, but the boy gently pushed Will away.

"No, Mr. Schue, I think Finn's right!" Sam stepped forward, his eyes also blazing with fury. He was shocked to think that his ex-girlfriend was capable of murder, but it all made sense. She truly was psychotic. He dodged a bullet earlier this year, when she tried to ignite their sparks again.

"I mean, she cheated on me, cheated on Finn, broke her celibacy club vow, tormented Rachel and the others for years, and even joined the Skanks!" Sam continued to bellow, his fury rising. "I thought she was normal, when she would play with Stacie and stuff, but no! She's psychotic, selfish, and deranged! She's manipulative, and crazy!" Sam continued to yell at Quinn, as the blonde girl had huddled her knees to her chest.

"Sam, you're overreacting." Tina suddenly spoke up, staring at Quinn with sympathy, "let Quinn explain herself." Everyone seemed to agree with Tina, and looked at Quinn's sobbing form. Breaths were caught in people's throat, when suddenly Quinn bolted past everyone and ran into her room, locking it. Everyone stood shocked, but it was Santana who ran to the door and started to slam on it, yelling in Spanish.

"Q, open the door! _Abre la puerta!_" Santana wasn't sure why she was speaking in Spanish, but she felt angry. She had almost believed Quinn's innocence, but when the girl bolted and ran, she lost all faith in her friend.

"Let me and the boys open the door," Beiste ordered. The football players all stood with Beiste as they ran toward the door, pushing against it. They heard the door creak, but it wouldn't budge.

"My dad can pay for the damages," Sugar confessed.

The football team and their coach looked at each other again and ran toward the door, pushing against it. They repeated this several times, until finally the door was bust open. Without taking a break, everyone stormed into the room. Santana rolled her eyes as the bathroom door was closed. Santana slammed on the door again, but to her surprise, the door opened. Brittany rushed past Santana, and screamed.

Santana's hands ran to her face as she held Brittany for support. In the bathtub was Quinn, unconscious and covered in blood. Her slits were cut open deeply, almost enough for Santana to see bone or something gross. Santana heard people run out of the room, gagging and retching.

On the wall, in blood, there was a message. Finn pointed it out, and Santana looked up:

_This is a story about control. My control. It's too bad Quinn couldn't control the pressure._

* * *

So I thought it would help if, at the end of every chapter, I listed out everyone who was guilty, innocent, and dead/injured. Keep in mind that these may constantly change.

**Guilty:** Santana, Finn, Brittany, Rachel, Sam, Mercedes, Sugar, Rory, Artie, Joe, Blaine, Kurt, Tina, Mike, Puck

**Innocent:** Will, Jesse, Emma, Officer Rutherford, Sue, Beiste

**Dead/Injured:** Andrea (Dead), Quinn (?)


	4. La Isla Bonita

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 4: **La Isla Bonita

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

**Thanks To: **the anonymous guest, Santanalover16, and G-L-I-M-M-E-R-ESSENCE for your fantastic reviews!

* * *

Santana's hands ran to her face as she held Brittany for support. In the bathtub was Quinn, unconscious and covered in blood. Her slits were cut open deeply, almost enough for Santana to see bone or something gross. Santana heard people run out of the room, gagging and retching.

On the wall, in blood, there was a message. Finn pointed it out, and Santana looked up:

_This is a story about control. My control. It's too bad Quinn couldn't control the pressure._

Santana took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She clenched her fingers into a strong, sweaty fist and took a deep breath. Suddenly, she was beginning to feel like she couldn't breathe. There was one random girl murdered in the same building that they lived at, and now one of her best friends was probably dead. And the worst part?

Santana never got to apologize. Santana never got to apologize for going out of her way to break Sam and Quinn up. She never got to apologize for slamming Quinn into the lockers when Quinn ratted her out to Coach Sylvester. She never got to apologize for everything. Not that Santana Lopez was ever going to apologize, but she couldn't stand the fact that Quinn would leave her without knowing that she loved her—as a friend.

Like a breath of fresh air, a cool, collected hand snuck its way into Santana's closed fist. Santana slowly looked up, and through a film of tears, she saw Brittany sniffling at her. Both girls were Q's original best friends before they all bonded in Glee. They were the Unholy Trinity.

"Britt," Santana croaked. Brittany looked saddened, but she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Santana's. "How are you not crying?" As if on cue, Santana's tears started to roll out at the mere utter of the word, and Brittany held her close, calmly rubbing her back.

"Someone has to stay strong," Brittany whispered, "everyone else is crying. Even Coach Sylvester, who got her tear ducts removed sophomore year." Santana felt Brittany combing her fingers through her hair, and Santana wanted to remain in Brittany's arms forever. She wanted to be protected from everything.

Mr. Schue suddenly returned with a tired paramedic who barked at everyone to leave so he could take Quinn to the hospital. Santana looked bewildered, as if she didn't want anyone to touch Quinn. But at the same time, she knew Q would have to fight this. It was so unfair: she had just started walking again, and now she was back in the hospital.

As they took Quinn, Santana looked around. Everyone looked aghast. Rachel looked as if someone had punched her in the stomach, and Finn was sobbing uncontrollably. Mercedes was holding onto Kurt for support, as she looked as if she was about to upheave the contents of her stomach again. Kurt was taking deep breaths, trying his best to stay calm. Blaine was holding onto Kurt, his eyes moist as well. Sam seemed extremely upset, wiping his eyes constantly. Tina and Mike were holding each other as Rory started to comfort Sugar. Puck simply looked broken, as if he had no idea how to react. Artie was ramming himself into the wall, trying to keep the tears in.

Santana could see Joe in a corner, praying powerfully. He looked intent and determined, but he also looked guilty. Santana suddenly broke away from Brittany, and marched toward Joe.

"Hey tarantula head!" Santana yelled. Joe looked up suddenly, and Santana suddenly lost control of her body and started slapping Joe in the face. Santana felt Sam (or someone as muscular) holding her back, but she continued to scream obscenities in Spanish. Each Coach Sylvester's threats about unfreezing Hitler didn't deter Santana. She wanted to bash that stupid Teen Jesus for doing that!

"She was innocent," Santana finally cried as she felt Sam release his hold on her. Joe looked terrified, and everyone was looking at her carefully. "You made her feel like the victim and you two," Santana suddenly spun around and jabbed Finn and Sam in their chests, "just had to go jump down her throat without giving her a chance to speak!"

Finn and Sam tried to argue, but their voices betrayed them. Joe looked extremely broken, and Santana was finished. She wanted to literally throw everything away and kill them (not that she was the murderer…) but she figured that Brittany probably would be mad at her. Damn her and her perfection.

"Santana," Brittany grabbed Santana with an incredible amount of strength, "let's go. I feel nauseous with the blood around me." Emma tried to request them to stay until Officer Rutherford showed up, but Beiste said she would send him to the girls if need be. She looked at them, as if sending a message.

When the two girls got to Santana and Sugar's room, Brittany led Santana to the bed before suddenly crying. Santana looked shocked. It was such a horrible sound; it sounded like an angel dying, or an eclipse covering the earth forever.

"Britt," Santana took the lead and started rubbing Brittany's back, "calm down and listen to me. We have to solve this murder before anyone else gets hurt. It's the only way we can protect our friends and win Nationals."

"Is the competition still going to happen?" Brittany managed to ask in between tears. Santana looked thoughtful for a moment, as she pondered the question. Would they still have the competition? For one murder (possibly two), would they cancel the entire event?

"That's a good question," Mercedes suddenly barged into the room. If it had been Sam, Joe, or Finn, Santana may have actually killed someone but Mercedes brought Tina and Sugar with her. It was her Troubletones and Tina.

"We briefed Sugar on the entire mission," Tina nodded her head fervently, "and I think now we need to agree on something." Everyone looked at each other hesitantly. Brittany and Santana were still lying on the bed, holding each other. Mercedes and Sugar looked at Tina, surprised with her commanding tone.

"None of us would ever do anything to hurt our friends, right?" Santana saw right through Tina's question. Tina was asking all of them if they were the murderer. It seemed like such a stupid question. Santana almost wondered: what if Mercedes or Sugar or Tina was the murderer? Would they just openly admit it?

"I think that's obvious," Sugar retorted with a hint of loyalty in her voice. Santana and Mercedes slowly nodded, but it was Brittany who raised her hand.

"I would never hurt any of my friends. Not Santana, not Mercedes, not Sugar, not Tina, not Kurt, not Blaine, not Finn, not Rachel, not Artie, not Mike, not Teen Jesus, not Rory, not Puck, not Sam, not," Brittany suddenly choked, "not Quinn." Everyone looked at Brittany with awe, while Santana squeezed her hand with as much love as possible.

"First order of business for the Trebletonics," Mercedes slightly modified their Glee club name. Santana assumed it was simply to include Tina. "We have to look at everyone carefully—"

"Sugar, what were you and Rory talking about?" Santana suddenly quipped. Tina's bright smile dropped, and Mercedes eyed the girl beside her. Sugar's jaw dropped, but she quickly regained her superficial composure.

"I'm not going to say anything without a lawyer present." Sugar defiantly crossed her arms, and looked the other away. Brittany got up and tickled Sugar, who started giggling.

"Will you tell me the truth now? Please?" Brittany grinned as she continued to tickle the smaller girl. Santana knew she should have felt strong urges of jealousy, but somehow she admired Brittany's eccentric tactics.

"O-Okay! S-Stop!" Sugar squealed as she managed to escape Brittany's grip. Sugar patted down her expensive clothing and looked at the other girls worriedly.

Santana quickly recalled what she saw on Officer Rutherford's iPad:

_"I can't believe we did it, Sugar!" Rory grinned as Sugar held his hand. Sugar smiled up at him and squeezed his hand._

_"You were great! You killed her! I'm so proud of you, Rory! Now, maybe, you won't get deported!" Sugar squealed on the screen and hugged Rory._

"Rory was talking to this woman on the phone," Sugar rolled her eyes with an air of nonchalance, but again Santana could see through it. Sugar was trying to look as calm as possible, but her feigned calmness somehow added a tint of truth to her words. "She was like from the embassy, and he was trying to persuade her to let him stay to finish his education at McKinley. He did really well, so I told him that he killed it." Sugar brushed back some strands of her bright hair and fiddled with the rings on her fingers a bit.

"Wait, hold up, why didn't you just tell Officer Rutherford that?" Mercedes looked at Sugar with exasperation. Sugar shifted again, and crossed her arms.

"Daddy said never to talk to lawyers or police without talking to him first." Sugar looked away for a brief moment, before smiling brightly again as if nothing had ever happened.

"Did you guys notice something?" Tina broke the concomitant silence that came with Sugar's shifty reaction to Mercedes. "That song that was written on the wall. It was Control by Janet Jackson!" Tina exclaimed, her eyes bright with the fact that she contributed something. No one else looked impressed, however.

"So, what? Did Michael Jackson come here and _do it_ or something?" Santana rolled her eyes, as she struggled to even think of a quick replacement for what had happened. Tina shook her head quickly, fixing her hair.

"That's the song Quinn started off with at Sectionals! When you guys were just the Trebletones." Tina pointed out, and Santana felt her jaw drop. She completely forgot about that! After they had lost, Santana tried to wipe her memory of that event.

"So what are you trying to say?" Mercedes leaned against a dresser, still tired and fatigued. Santana could barely imagine how Mercedes was still standing despite being hungover, getting little to no sleep, and seeing such gruesome images.

"Whoever is out there," Tina's face suddenly grew solemn, a stark contrast from her bright face, "was at our Sectionals performance. Or at least knows of it."

Santana took in this information, acknowledging the facts. But it was Brittany who quickly walked into Santana's closet and pulled out a notebook from her bag (she claimed she used it for scrap paper, not writing love ballads to Brittany). Brittany then grabbed a thin crayon and started writing:

_M knew what Quinn sang at Sectionals. _

"Why did you write that? And why M?" Sugar voiced loudly, causing Mercedes to groan. Santana snuck a quick peek at the clock, and it was already five AM. In three hours, they were supposed to wake up and get ready.

"I wanted to keep track of things, so I wouldn't forget," Brittany replied, "and M for meanie."

* * *

"Fuck Santana!" Finn yelled as he ran into his room. Officer Rutherford had finished interrogating everyone, and he eyed Finn, Joe, and Sam especially when Santana ratted them out to him.

"You already did—sophomore year." Puck pointed out languidly, as he leaned against his bed. Finn looked at him, anger running through his veins.

"Dude, shut up! Now is not the time for jokes!" Finn barked. Puck rolled his eyes, but got up from the bed and walked over to Puck.

"Bro, you're overreacting. Look, I know you didn't do it," Puck spoke with a large amount of steadfast confidence that Finn wanted to almost smile, "And I was talking to Mike and Sam. I think we should form the Scooby Gang."

"What? We don't have a van, or a dog, or anything." Finn looked utterly confused. Puck rolled his eyes and sat closer to Finn.

"We need to solve this mystery. I know none of my bros could have done this, and I think that someone else here is guilty. We just need to find the clues, y'know?" Puck's fierce look reassured Finn, who nodded.

"So we should team up with Mike and Sam to find out who's murdering everyone?" Finn noticed Puck visibly tense when he alluded to Quinn, but Puck quickly nodded his head, crossing his arms. Finn thought for a moment before nodding his head.

"So what were you three doing, running around with red stains all over your shirts?" Finn asked, eyeing the laundry basket carefully. Puck thought for a moment, before slinging his arm over Finn's shoulder. He grinned, like the typical Puck Finn knew.

"We had managed to sneak into this party, and they were throwing drinks and stuff each other." Finn seemed to accept this excuse, as he retreated to the bathroom.

Puck watched Finn retreat to the bathroom, and rolled his eyes.

_Finn is not getting away with this. I'm going to pin him for Quinn's sake._

Little did Puck know, Finn was looking in the mirror, shaking his head.

_Puck's lying._

* * *

"Did you call them?" Emma squeaked as Will walked into the room. Will sighed and sat at the edge of the bed. Emma glided forward and held Will's hand.

"Judy Fabray broke down on the phone. I couldn't stand to hear it. She mentioned that she was going to grab the first plane tickets to Chicago, but I just…I feel so bad for her." Will looked at Emma, tears streaming down his face.

"Honey, it's not your fault," Emma tried to reassure Will. Will looked away, and continued to sniff.

"Officer Rutherford also told me he found something else," Will suddenly muttered. Emma looked at Will with wild eyes as Will dropped a crumbled piece of paper into Emma's hands. Emma carefully unwrapped it and read it, her eyes moistening.

_New Directions. _The paper read. _You will be participating at Nationals, or else I will strike you all . Consider this a warning. _


	5. Bad

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 5: **Bad

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

**Thanks To: **HeartofPinkSol (for reviewing all four chapters!), Philosopherstone-123, and Santanalover16! I just wanted to add in here that this chapter is shorter than the usual chapters, and there is little action in it. But, it is important for the following chapters, and there IS a vital clue in here about the identity of the murderer. Moreover, I may not be able to update for a bit depending on how finals and stuff go. Only got one midterm left before I have finals! Thanks again to everyone, and I believe we have surpassed 800 views! Thanks!

* * *

"Officer Rutherford also told me he found something else," Will suddenly muttered. Emma looked at Will with wild eyes as Will dropped a crumbled piece of paper into Emma's hands. Emma carefully unwrapped it and read it, her eyes moistening.

_New Directions. _The paper read. _You will be participating at Nationals, or else I will strike you all . Consider this a warning._

Emma squeaked as she heard the door open. Will quickly shielded Emma only to see Beiste and Sue walk through the door way. Everyone took a collective sigh of relief as Will invited the other two women into the room.

"Wow, I was half expecting a room full of fully grown birds, laying sulfurous eggs all over the place and using Will's abnormally curly hair as a nest." Sue chuckled under her breath. If there was one thing that Will was grateful for in this entire ordeal, it was Sue's relentless pursuit of keeping things as normal as possible. Even if it meant insulting everyone and terrorizing the kids.

"So what did you guys discover?" Beiste suddenly asked, leaning back slightly on the bed. Will hummed quietly, while Emma started to trace patterns with her finger on the comforter of the mattress. Sue raised a skeptical eyebrow, crossed her arms.

"Unless you two finally grew the balls to have sex, I don't understand why you two are acting so awkward." Sue clicked her tongue presumptuously, waiting for an answer. Will pursed his lips and looked at the floor for a moment before looking up and facing his two allies.

"Officer Rutherford found this near Quinn." Will choked at the mention of the girl's name. He gingerly passed the note toward the other two women. Sue grabbed it first and unfolded it, scanning it with her hawk-like eyes.

"So this murderer thinks that they can play hard-ball with Sue Sylvester? Well they better guess again!" Sue triumphantly announced, passing the note to Beiste who gasped as she read the note.

"We can't force the kids to perform with everything going on right now," Beiste shook her head, "it would be like starving the chickens and expecting them to lay golden eggs."

"I know, and I completely agree," Will commented, running a hand through his hair and visibly ignoring Sue's look of disgust, "but we'll be risking the lives of these kids if we…."

"How was Q's mom?" Sue suddenly interjected, staring at Will expectedly. Everyone took a second look at her, surprised with her nonchalance. Emma had whispered to Will that Sue was having trouble accepting the fact that she could lose Quinn, but Will felt horrible for the other woman. Considering the pregnancy hormones, Will still had to commend her ability to keep it together in the face of everything.

"She broke down," Will breathed, "she's going to take the first flight here, but it won't be enough. I doubt she'll be let in, and I overheard the connoisseur telling some bellboy that they're going to try and move out other customers in the hotel." Beiste and Emma took a sharp inhale, while Sue simply looked unfazed.

"Who do you think the murderer is?" Sue asked coldly, staring at everyone. The question that had been on everyone's mind since the beginning of the whole ordeal was finally asked.

"Why don't you tell us what Finn, Blaine, Artie, Sugar, and Rory had to say for themselves?" Emma defiantly asked, although Will could see the fear in her eyes. She didn't want to accept the fact that one of their kids could have done something as heinous as murder. Sue eyed Emma suspiciously before standing up and moving around the room.

Will tried to recall what Finn had been doing in the video:

_Officer Rutherford had pointed toward the boy who ran into the lobby, panting with a red face. Finn had run his hands through his hair, and had kicked a chair in frustration. He walked toward the edge of the screen and looked around before taking off his sweater and dumping it into a different trashcan._

"Pillsbury Doughboy was telling me that he had some of the ribs for dinner, and unfortunately, his story checked through. He did lie though," Sue's intonation surprised everyone, "he told me that he saw Puckerman, Trouty Mouth, and Other Asian talking to each other and that was why he was frustrated." Beiste looked crestfallen, hiding some tears that had escaped and were running down her face.

"Young Burt Reynolds," Sue referred to Blaine, "also dished up some information about what he was doing with Legs." Will then remembered what he had seen on the iPad of Officer Rutherford:

_Artie and Blaine were walking together across the lobby, clearly in a deep conversation. It looked like Blaine was crying, and Artie was talking to him. Blaine had a heavy jacket over himself, but what made everyone suspicious was when Blaine held up a finger and smiled, running to the trashcan and dumping something into it._

Will shivered as he could still vividly see the trace outlines of blood on the knife that Blaine and Artie had discarded.

"They confessed that they just found the knife," Sue spoke with a hint of disbelief, "and that Other Gay wanted to talk to Wheels about something personal and when they were walking back from the front of the hotel, they found the knife as if it had been dropped there."

"But why was Blaine smiling and throwing away the knife so suspiciously?" Will wondered aloud.

"Apparently, he and Wheels had made a joke about me." Sue replied stiffly, and Will almost wanted to laugh. He could almost imagine the jokes that could be made about Sue with a bloody knife.

"Right. What about Sugar and Rory?" Emma squeaked, clenching her hands together nervously. Sue cleared her throat and sighed.

"Turns out Irish and Ritchie were calling the embassy," Sue rolled her eyes, "and begging to let the kid with the horrible fake accent stay in the United States longer, as if we want him." Sue scoffed. Will rolled his eyes as he kept on listening.

"I assume you probably checked their phones." Beiste retorted and Sue nodded, smiling proudly.

"Their story checked out too." Sue replied, as everyone let out another breath of air. The air seemed so tense in the hotel, and they all just wanted to leave.

After a few moments, Will couldn't keep it in anymore. One student was already dead, one was in the hospital, and fifteen others were in danger. It was all because of him and his stupid dreams to make them win. If he hadn't pushed them so hard, they would have lost and no one would have been in danger.

"Will, it's okay," Emma tried to reassure her sobbing fiancé, but even she was having trouble keeping the tears inside.

"It's not okay!" Will barked without anger, "these kids might die, and we're powerless to do anything. There is a murderer living in this hotel, and they're targeting my kids!" Will's eyes were becoming bloodshot as his tears raced down his face faster and faster.

"As much as I enjoy watching a butch lesbian and a soft lesbian comfort each other," Sue crossed her arms again, "you need to man up, William. You're the leader of these bisexual baboons, and if they saw you losing faith, they would all lose faith."

"What am I supposed to do, Sue!?" Will yelled, standing up to face Sue. Beiste and Emma watched carefully, their hearts beating fast.

"We have to believe in the kids," Sue slowly started as she rubbed her belly, "and believe that they know right from wrong."

* * *

Kurt and Rachel were in his room, since Mercedes and Tina were both with Santana and Brittany and Sugar. They sat together, holding their hands with silent tears cascading down their face.

"Quinn might be dead." Rachel deadpanned, her voice steady and calm despite her crying face.

"I know." Kurt mumbled, holding Rachel's hand closer to him. Truth be told, both diva's felt afraid. They were in a mess that could potentially ruin their lives and their upcoming Broadway careers. But even more importantly, was that they were all in danger.

"Kurt," Rachel suddenly leaned forward, twisting her body to face Kurt with a familiar fire he knew to be Rachel's motivation, "haven't you read Nancy Drew books?"

"Of course," Kurt scoffed, almost offended. Nancy Drew was a feminist icon, and a teenage female detective. "What about—oh no, no no no!" Kurt started shaking his head as his eyes widened. Perhaps it was the hangover, but Kurt was not about to follow Rachel's idea.

"Kurt, we have to protect our friends. If we can find out who has been doing this, we can solve the murder, and continue our amazing Nationals performance and win! We have to!" Rachel pulled Kurt's arm as she whined. Kurt rolled his eyes but nodded his head.

"What do you want?" Kurt steadily asked, watching Rachel carefully.

"I want us to team up—Hummelberry—and find out who is doing this." Rachel smiled. She ran a hand nervously through her curls, but Kurt hummed slightly as he let out a deep breath.

"So you want us to be the Nancy Drews of New Directions and find the murderer?" Kurt tried to repeat the idea, although it sounded crazy in his head. Rachel nodded her head excitedly.

"Then why don't you start with telling me what exactly you were crying about?" Kurt crossed his arms. He watched carefully as Rachel's face dropped and she looked away and started stuttering. Typical nervous behavior of the one and only Rachel Berry.

"K-Kurt, you have to trust me!" Rachel looked at him and grabbed his hands, "I'm not the killer. I wouldn't hurt Quinn or Andrea or anyone! Please!" Rachel implored Kurt to believe her, and he rolled his eyes.

"No," Kurt firmly said, "until you tell me exactly why you were crying. You were supposed to be going to bed early anyways." Kurt raised his eyebrow, and Rachel looked away.

"Look, I promise I'll tell you everything," Rachel quickly answered, wiping the premature tears from her eyes, "but right now I can't." Kurt looked at her, but finally sighed.

"Fine. We can be the Nancy Drews of New Directions. But I get to wear my beret and raven brooch while we investigate." Kurt demanded and Rachel nodded quickly, giggling.

* * *

"And that's why Sugar and I called the embassy," Rory explained to his friend, Joe. The two, being some of the newest additions to New Directions, had become fast friends. Joe nodded, but moved a few loose dreadlocks back in place.

"You don't think I'm horrible for what I did to Quinn, do you?" Joe quietly asked, looking down before looking up at Rory. Rory scrunched his face in confusion, but he quickly shook his head.

"Course not! I would have been terrified out of me wits if I saw a bloody knife." Rory corroborated and Joe let out a sharp inhale. The two roommates sat together in silence until there a knock at their door. Rory and Joe looked at each other worriedly, before Rory grabbed a belt from his closet. Joe nodded his head as they carefully approached the door. Closing his eyes, Joe quickly opened the door and Rory whipped his belt only to hear a loud "ow!"

When Joe opened his eyes, he saw Blaine and Artie shielding themselves. The two quickly apologized and allowed them to walk inside. Artie looked around nervously, and closed the door.

"I have a proposition for you boys," Artie spoke in a low tone, "and Blaine and I have been talking. It's not that I don't trust anyone, but I overheard Rory's explanation about Sugar and I know Joe couldn't be the murderer. We were wondering if you wanted to join us in solving this mystery, Hardy Boys style."

* * *

_One by one, as they team up, I will strike. Only chaos I will bring, and take away something they like. _


	6. Telephone

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 6: **Telephone

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

**Thanks To: **gleekalert, Santanalover16, PhilosophersStone-123, and HeartOfPinkSol for your reviews!

* * *

"As much as I enjoy watching a butch lesbian and a soft lesbian comfort each other," Sue crossed her arms again, "you need to man up, William. You're the leader of these bisexual baboons, and if they saw you losing faith, they would all lose faith."

"What am I supposed to do, Sue!?" Will yelled, standing up to face Sue. Beiste and Emma watched carefully, their hearts beating fast.

"We have to believe in the kids," Sue slowly started as she rubbed her belly, "and believe that they know right from wrong."

* * *

"K-Kurt, you have to trust me!" Rachel looked at him and grabbed his hands, "I'm not the killer. I wouldn't hurt Quinn or Andrea or anyone! Please!" Rachel implored Kurt to believe her, and he rolled his eyes.

"No," Kurt firmly said, "until you tell me exactly why you were crying. You were supposed to be going to bed early anyways." Kurt raised his eyebrow, and Rachel looked away.

"Look, I promise I'll tell you everything," Rachel quickly answered, wiping the premature tears from her eyes, "but right now I can't." Kurt looked at her, but finally sighed.

"Fine. We can be the Nancy Drews of New Directions. But I get to wear my beret and raven brooch while we investigate." Kurt demanded and Rachel nodded quickly, giggling.

* * *

When Joe opened his eyes, he saw Blaine and Artie shielding themselves. The two quickly apologized and allowed them to walk inside. Artie looked around nervously, and closed the door.

"I have a proposition for you boys," Artie spoke in a low tone, "and Blaine and I have been talking. It's not that I don't trust anyone, but I overheard Rory's explanation about Sugar and I know Joe couldn't be the murderer. We were wondering if you wanted to join us in solving this mystery, Hardy Boys style."

* * *

The next morning Will woke up, rubbing his eyes gingerly. It seemed like an entire month had transpired in the night before. Yawning, Will turned over to caress his fiancé, only to find his bed empty. Immediately, panic set in and Will started looking around.

"Emma?!" Will called in the room, although it was a stupid thought as the room was only so big. Will began pacing around his room, breathing quickly until he saw it: an intricately folded sticky note. As if it was a ticking time bomb, Will darted his eyes from left to right before walking forward. He grabbed it quickly and unfolded the note:

"Will, I got a call from the hospital to visit Quinn. Will be back later." Will sighed in relief as he saw Emma's familiar signature. He set the note down and made his way to the bathroom. Today was going to be a grueling day, but he had to get through it.

When he reached their practice room, Will was shocked to see what he saw: in one corner, Tina, Santana, Brittany, Mercedes and Sugar at with crossed arms and apathetic glares. In another corner, Artie, Joe, Rory, and Blaine were leaning against the wall angrily (well, Artie was against the wall). In the corner adjacent to them, Will saw Rachel and Kurt whispering furiously to each other and pointing across the room. Then in the final corner, Puck, Sam, Finn and Mike glared at everyone. Clearly, alliances had been made in the last few hours. It almost made Will wonder if anyone had gotten sleep.

"Glad to see you, Wilhemia," Sue spoke calmly, "hope you can convince these intellectually deficit nincompoops that they're acting stupid. My threats seemed to fail, for once." Sue patted Will's shoulder carefully as she walked away, leaving Will with his kids.

"Look," Will spoke with a previously unseen harsh tone, "things are tough right now. But we're going to still be performing!" Although Will was not expecting a set of applause and love, he was certainly not expecting even more silence. Rachel and Kurt had stopped whispering.

"Mr. Schue," Mercedes rolled her eyes, "we're not performing. How are we supposed to perform with Quinn out, and do you really think the police officer is going to let us?" Will bit his lip nervously. In his pocket was the note from the assailant, threatening Will to perform or else. He was trying to think of the best way to break it to the kids without truly frightening them (could one of them really be a cold-blooded killer?)

"Of course you'll be performing, unless you want to die." Officer Rutherford's booming voice entered the voice. The hairs on Will's neck prickled as he swiftly turned around to try and silence the police officer.

"Didn't your teacher tell you all? This murderer has threatened to kill you all if you don't perform at Nationals." Officer Rutherford eyed Will uneasily, and suddenly an explosion of noise erupted within the room. People were screaming, yelling, and trying to fight each other. Luckily, Beiste and Sue heard the noise and marched in to start breaking the fights. Will and Officer Rutherford also contributed, although Will got punched in the face when Rachel tried to strike Santana. It didn't help that Santana lunged toward Rachel, pushing Will down in the process.

"ENOUGH!" Will yelled from the floor. Everyone took a moment to stop and some gasped in horror as they saw their teacher on the ground. Finn walked forward and helped Will up, although Will took that moment to look into Finn's eyes. It was still hard to believe that one of these kids could be…

"You will stop fighting now. And before we perform in Nationals, I want to make it very clear," Will started pacing around the room slowly, eyeing the other three adults, "that you guys are a family." Will's voice suddenly cracked. He looked at everyone with moist eyes and pursed lips.

"You guys are a family. You guys are my family. I don't care about what anyone says," Will yelled, "I don't think any of you are capable of killing anyone!" Everyone looked around each other, eyeing each other uneasily.

"If you want to throw away your dreams for some psychopath who is intent on ruining them, then fine! Be my guest! If you want to give up on everything, then leave now." Will pointed toward the open door. He took a deep breath as he watched all fifteen kids. His heart was fluttering violently in his chest as he inwardly hoped no one would move.

And no one did.

With a small smile toward Officer Rutherford, Will clapped his hands and rehearsal started.

* * *

During break, Kurt whispered to Rachel as they attacked their skim no-whip mocha latte's.

"Everyone's down here. Why don't we get our Nancy Drew on?" Kurt whispered into Rachel's ear as he watched everyone. For a moment he thought Finn saw him, but Finn looked like his clueless self.

"What if someone notices that we're gone?" Rachel whispered back with a small hesitance. Kurt scooted slightly, holding his best friend's hand.

"No one will. We only have this chance to go through everyone's rooms," Kurt darted his eyes from left to right, "I already looked through Mercedes's stuff while she was fixing her weave this morning. She seems clean, since there's nothing but expired coupons for Chipotle that are crime-worthy." Rachel looked at Kurt and nodded solemnly.

"Everyone is probably still noticing us, so we have to play it cool. I'll excuse myself to the bathroom first and then you follow shortly." Rachel looked forward as she lifted herself off the floor and marched toward a weary Mr. Schue, who seemed to be frowning at his phone.

"Mr. Schue, I'm going to the restroom!" Rachel announced somewhat loudly. Will raised an eyebrow at Rachel, but wearily waved his hand to let her leave. Officer Rutherford took a note and watched Rachel carefully. Kurt gulped as he waited several minutes, pretending to play on his phone.

It was during this time Blaine shifted toward him and sat beside him.

"Hey Kurt," Blaine whispered, holding Kurt's hand, "how are you?" Blaine tried to smile, but Kurt looked away.

"Kurt!" Blaine pleaded, but Kurt took a deep breath.

"What were you talking to Artie about that you couldn't talk to me?" Kurt crossed his arms. Blaine opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. He looked lost for an answer.

"Maybe when you can trust me, I can trust you." Kurt shifted from his sitting position and swayed his hips as he told Mr. Schue he needed to be excused. He eyed Officer Rutherford carefully, holding up his pinky.

"I just have to use the bathroom and reapply my moisturizer." Kurt shuffled his feet as he walked out of the room. Deciding to be sneaky, he took the stairs, although he immediately regretted it. By the time he reached their floor, Rachel was pacing nervously.

"Rachel?" Kurt looked slightly confused. Rachel was holding something to her chest, and walking around nervously. She looked up and quickly ran toward Kurt, her eyes moist.

"K-Kurt, I wanted to look through Finn's room, and just assure myself that the man I'm going to marry is not a killer," Rachel was speaking extremely fast, something typical of her. Kurt raised an eyebrow and walked with Rachel as they walked toward Finn's room. For a moment, Kurt thought he heard footsteps but when he looked, it was nothing.

"Let's just go in." Kurt assured Rachel as they gently closed the door. Rachel quickly walked toward the bathroom and looked around nervously before Rachel showed Kurt what she had in her hands: a cellphone.

"Is that Finn's?" Kurt whispered. Rachel looked around before shaking her head.

"I think it's Puck's," Rachel confessed slowly, "and I was looking through his phone to see if we could find any clues—"

"I really don't want to see any naked pictures, Rachel—"

"No! Look at this! It was sent to Sam and Mike!" Rachel pleaded as she thrust the phone in Kurt's sweaty palms. Kurt took a deep breath before reading the conversation:

_Puck: Look, what we did tonight has to stay a secret. Nobody can know about it. Esp. Quinn and Finn._

"Why would he mention Quinn and Finn?" Kurt whispered calmly. Rachel shrugged and pointed downward.

_Sam: I know, bro. I'm sorry for breaking down, but it finally felt so good. Like I deserved it._

Rachel and Kurt looked at each other, a plethora of thoughts running through their head as they gaped at the conversation in front of them.

_Mike: Plz, let's keep it a secret. If anyone finds out, idk what we'll do._

Kurt and Rachel gasped as they thought they heard something, but it was simply the water from the sink dripping into the sink. Rachel wiped her brow and quickly took a screenshot of the conversation before sending it to her phone and Kurt's phone.

"We need to find out what they're hiding. I don't want them near Finn, if they're dangerous!" Rachel whispered loudly as Kurt nodded. When he glanced at his phone, he noticed the time.

"Rachel, let's go. If that officer knows we've been gone for too long, we'll go from Nancy Drew to James Bond being interrogated."

* * *

It was Joe who had suggested the idea, but due to logistics, Artie and Blaine had to stay back. Thus, it was up to the newbies to help bring Andrea and Quinn justice.

"Come on, Rory," Joe urged as they shuffled up the elevator. While Kurt and Rachel had been in their bathroom adventure, Will shuffled the kids to the cafeteria. Artie had given them the signal and Joe yelped in pain. Everyone had looked at him, and Artie apologized for running over his bare foot. Joe pretended to hesitantly accept the apology, and asked Rory to help him up to grab his shoes from upstairs.

"Alright, but let's make this quick. I'm fairly hungry." Rory trilled in his thick Irish accent. Joe nodded as he brushed back some dreads. He felt horrible for what he did to Quinn, and felt that by finding the real murderer, he could bring her justice. He was also praying continuously for her health.

"What if Santana finds us?" Joe asked. Rory took a moment and cleared his throat.

"She's scary, yes, but she's the only one whose been in enough fights to know how to really hurt someone. And she also didn't like the blonde cheerleader." Rory suggested and Joe sighed in satisfaction. They walked into Santana's room, almost expecting to see the scariest member of New Directions there herself.

When they walked in, they quickly shut the door and started to look around. What clue could they find to help their case?

"Joe, look!" Rory suddenly gasped. Joe turned around and saw what Rory saw: a bulge under a pillow. Both boys hesitantly looked at each other before carefully approaching it. For a moment, they paused as they thought they heard footsteps. But when the coast seemed clear, Rory lunged forward and grabbed it. It looked like a notebook, although the Cheerio's sticker on the front made the ownership obvious.

"It must be her diary," Rory nodded, "let's see if there are any clues."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Joe asked nervously.

"I dunno." Rory shrugged, looking worried. They looked at each other for a moment, considering the consequences of their actions. When Joe saw Quinn's bloody body in his head though, he grew even more determined to do it.

"Give it to me." Joe urged as he took Santana's closed journal from Rory's trembling hands. It was no secret that the Latina still scared Rory.

As Joe shuffled through the pages, he finally found the most recent entry. Surprisingly, it was dated today! Santana must have written it this morning:

"So right now, I'm a suspect for murder. That girl, Andrea Cohen, was found murdered and now Matt's uncle, who is a police officer, is convinced one of us did it.

I hope they don't find it before I take it. It was stupid of me, and I feel horrible about it, but I panicked. I think it dropped near the trash, but I have to sneak through."

Joe dropped the book as he stopped reading it aloud. Rory looked pale and both boys looked at each other. Rory quickly fished out his phone and took a screenshot of the journal entry before putting the journal back in place. Nodding to each other, they ran downstairs.

* * *

Will was growing frustrated. Emma had been gone the entire day, and she hadn't bothered to return his calls or texts. Finally, he called the hospital Quinn was at, seeing if everything was okay. What he heard shocked him.

When he asked for Quinn Fabray's room, he was told that no visitors were allowed to contact the room or enter the room. Will dropped the phone as he ran past Rory and Joe and up the stairs, into his room. When he saw the innocent note delicately placed on the table, he looked at it again and fell to the ground, sobbing.

He hadn't noticed before, but there was a smudge on the note. An out-of-place, dirty, unkempt smudge on the sticky note that was supposed to have Emma's handwriting.

Emma was gone.

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed this intense chapter! It was actually a lot of fun to write! I do have a quick favor! When you review, if you can let me know what characters you possibly think the killer could be, I would appreciate it! I just need to see if I'm being too obvious or too secretive. Moreover, as a reward, if someone guesses right, I'll announce that someone had guessed right : - )

Happy December!


	7. Turning Tables

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 7: **Turning Tables

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

**Thanks To: **Oh my gosh, wow! Thanks to the anon, to Sherlock, to BrittanaHeyaLover, to LifeIsWanky, to the other anon, to dinna agron forves, and to HeartOfPinkSol for your reviews and guesses! So I think I know how well I'm doing and well…I will say someone is very close ;) I'm doing a double update again also, because the next week I'm going to be swamped! But WE HAVE SURPASSED 1,500 VIEWS! You guys are the best!

* * *

"We need to find out what they're hiding. I don't want them near Finn, if they're dangerous!" Rachel whispered loudly as Kurt nodded. When he glanced at his phone, he noticed the time.

"Rachel, let's go. If that officer knows we've been gone for too long, we'll go from Nancy Drew to James Bond being interrogated."

* * *

Joe dropped the book as he stopped reading it aloud. Rory looked pale and both boys looked at each other. Rory quickly fished out his phone and took a screenshot of Santana's journal entry before putting the journal back in place. Nodding to each other, they ran downstairs.

* * *

He hadn't noticed before, but there was a smudge on the note. An out-of-place, dirty, unkempt smudge on the sticky note that was supposed to have Emma's handwriting.

Emma was gone.

* * *

All fifteen kids sat with their respective circles as Mr. Schue, Sue, and Beiste looked hardened and upset. Officer Rutherford was pacing across the room at a leisurely place, informing the kids of the penalties for murder and attempted murder. He made a note to say that admitting it would lessen their sentence if they pleaded guilty and confessed their motives.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, none of the fifteen kids stood up and confessed. They all eyed each other, but no one said anything. But it was to everyone's surprise when Coach Beiste walked forward and patted Officer Rutherford on the shoulder for trying. When she looked at the kids, Finn swore he saw his football coach again, not the chaperone on the trip.

"Now listen here, kids!" Beiste yelled in the room, causing most of the non-athletes to flinch, "One of you needs help. And we want to help you. But you need to let us know!" Beiste argued, using her hands to emphasize her point. Everyone looked at each other again, suspicions rampant in their eyes. It was only the day after Andrea's body had been found, and still no leads had been found. Jesse looked furious at all of them, and Will had heard a certain rumor that he was planning on taking them down at Nationals for this.

Rachel looked at the football players and suddenly raised her hand, her typical annoying behavior returning with a vengeance.

"Mr. Schue, Coach Sylvester, Coach Beiste, and Officer Rutherford, I would like to present to you a key piece of evidence that has been withheld from you all!" Rachel marched forward. Kurt looked triumphant, while everyone else looked confused.

"Um," Officer Rutherford looked at Sue who simply whispered that it was typical for Rachel to act like this.

"I will now send all of you the key piece of evidence that Kurt and I have found!" Rachel nodded toward Kurt, and even Mr. Schue looked up, slightly intrigued. Rachel clicked a button and suddenly everyone's phone was buzzing. The first to react was Mike, who stood up angrily.

"How do you even have this?!" Mike hissed loudly. Puck growled when he realized whose phone Rachel had seen.

"How can you betray the Jewish alliance like this?!" Puck spat, standing up and pushing back his chair angrily. "You realize these stupid cops needs stupid evidence that means nothing like this to send me back to juvie!" Puck angrily pointed at Officer Rutherford.

"Why are you getting so mad if this evidence means nothing?" Tina countered, crossing her arms at the three boys. Sam looked devastated, and Mercedes looked as if she was trying to find something, but couldn't.

"Wait, why were you in our room?" Finn blinked a few times as the realization hit him. Clearly, Rachel had not been expecting Finn to realize that _minute_ detail and she started to stutter slightly.

"Wait, were you spying on me?!" Finn asked in disbelief, Everyone watched him get up and march toward Rachel, towering over her angrily.

"I just wanted to keep you safe!" Rachel countered as Finn huffed slightly. He ran a hand through his hair and looked back down at Rachel.

"Why don't you tell me about why you were so upset?" Finn crossed his arms. Finn looked at Rachel once more before stomping back toward his chair. Puck eyed him uneasily before crossing his arms.

"That was a private broversation!" Puck argued, and everyone still looked at him suspiciously. Joe and Rory looked at each other worriedly; they had not expected any other evidence to pop up. But Rory stood up, glaring at Santana slightly as he walked toward the adults.

"Joe and I also found some evidence," Rory confessed as he pulled out his phone and sent the message to everyone. However, the moment Santana realized what the picture was, Rory was thrown back into Officer Rutherford and Tina, Beiste and Mercedes were struggling to hold her back.

"_Anda que te coja un burro_!" Santana screamed. Rachel and Mr. Schue covered their mouths as they understood what Santana had said. "_Hijo de las gran mil putas_! _Maricón_! _No me jodas_! _Métetelo por el culo_!" By now, everyone's jaw had dropped. Rory looked hopelessly lost, and Will's best attempts to calm down the Cheerio were in vain. Sue seemed strangely amused.

"Sandbags, calm down." Sue calmly ordered. Santana finally threw off the three women and jabbed her chest into Rory's chest.

"What the hell were you doing in my room, you giant loser!?" Santana yelled. Brittany appeared by her side, and to everyone's surprise, slapped Rory.

"This is why you can't be a leprechaun," Brittany spoke with a cold monotone, "you're a horrible person." Rory looked crestfallen, and Joe looked afraid. Artie and Blaine eyed each other worriedly.

"Enough, guys!" Will finally spoke up, his eyes bloodshot. "Look, I appreciate you all playing police on each other, but it's not helping us in any way!"

"So what? Are we supposed to let the incompetent police force do something?" Puck angrily growled. Mike and Sam were holding him back.

"NO!" Will bellowed, "We're going to sit here until someone confesses. No one is going to leave this room, am I clear?" Will pointed his finger at the kids, glaring at all of them. Mercedes shook her head and marched forward with a defiant swagger.

"You can't order us what to do!" Mercedes challenged Mr. Schue, who ran a hand through his curls and turned around in frustration. Officer Rutherford sighed and looked at Mr. Schue.

"We can't keep underage kids here without consent from their parents," Officer Rutherford sadly confessed. Will stomped out of the room angrily, slamming the door behind him. Everyone looked slightly confused, but took a deep breath. Things were becoming intense.

* * *

A few hours later, Beiste and Sue were sitting beside each other, with Officer Rutherford chewing some hotel dish. Will was in his room, sobbing like an uncontrollable Barbie according to Sue, although her swipe lacked the usual venom.

"What do you think about the kids?" Beiste asked, eyeing Officer Rutherford carefully. The police officer stopped chewing for a moment and looked at both adults.

"They're all crazy." Officer Rutherford snorted, and Beiste chuckled under her breath. Sue muttered something about that being right.

"But," Officer Rutherford put down his napkin and pulled out several wallet-sized photos from his pocket, "I do have some good news. Based on their testimony, and the autopsy of the female student, we can actually clear a few names from our list of suspects." Sue looked elated, while Beiste looked as if she could breathe again.

The first picture Officer Rutherford turned over was Brittany S. Pierce. Sue rolled her eyes, muttering something about that being obvious.

"Brittany's dress, which she had thrown into the pool for some reason, actually did not have a blood sample on it," Officer Rutherford chuckled. Beiste and Sue looked at each other before turning back to look at Officer Rutherford. "Moreover, I checked with the restaurant manager and they angrily admitted that there was a lesbian couple eating dinner."

"Does this clear Santana?" Beiste asked carefully. Officer Rutherford darted his eyes from left to right, as he leaned forward.

"It would have, but the Irish kid's photo of her journal has placed her back on our suspects list." The police officer sighed as he turned over the next picture: Artie Abrams.

"The autopsy reveals that the killer had slit Andrea Cohen's neck. Unless Mr. Abrams is fooling all of us, he could not have actually murdered Ms. Cohen."

"What if he had the help of Blaine?" Coach Beiste wondered aloud, although she regretted that answer. Officer Rutherford paused for a moment, before shrugging.

"It's a possibility, like Brittany aiding Santana. But at least we know they're not the direct murderer." Officer Rutherford admitted calmly. Sue nodded her head, understanding.

"So you do think there was an accomplice?" Sue cocked her head slightly, peering at the police officer, who nodded quietly.

"Now, Mercedes Jones and Kurt Hummel were both drunk that night," Officer Jones turned over their pictures, "and the strikes from the knife are precise and deadly. Unless they both had a strong tolerance for alcohol, which is strongly contradicted by their vomiting and hangovers, they could not have killed her so carefully. "

"So Mercedes, Brittany, Kurt, and Artie are innocent for sure?" Beiste piped in, still somewhat saddened by the fact that her best friend was missing, eleven kids were still possible suspects, and one kid was still in a critical condition.

"Yes," Officer Rutherford announced, "and I'll be letting them know tomorrow. Now, I do need your help." Sue and Beiste glanced at each other before nodding their heads carefully.

* * *

Things had changed. Mercedes and Sam no longer even looked at each other, Tina and Mike looked mad at each other, Finn was completely ignoring Rachel, and only Santana, Brittany, Rory, and Sugar looked happy to be with their loved one.

In the room for the Troubletonics, they sat whispering to each other. Brittany was comforting Santana, while Sugar and Tina eyed Santana uneasily.

"Santana," Tina mustered the courage to finally ask what was on everyone's mind, "what did you leave behind? And what did you see?" Tina bit her lip nervously, slightly afraid of being on the receiving end of the girl's outburst.

"I saw her, panting on the floor, screaming for help." Santana coldly confessed through a film of tears. Everyone gasped, and Brittany started rubbing Santana's back even more.

"W-Why didn't you do anything?" Mercedes asked incredulously, walking forward and placing her hands on her hips.

"I thought she was like…drunk or something," Santana shrugged, "and I just wanted to leave because I was upset at that homophobic waitress." Sugar nodded understandingly, clearing her throat.

"You didn't see any blood?" Sugar chirped, and Santana shook her head.

"She was just screaming for help, and I was too pissed off to care. But I didn't see anything. I feel like she was on the ground or something." Santana sniffed. Brittany suddenly cupped Santana's face and brought it closer to her, brushing her lips against Santana's.

"Lord Tubbington and I believe you," Brittany confessed, "and I'm sure everyone here does too." Mercedes, Tina, and Sugar nodded their heads understandingly.

* * *

With the Scooby Gang, tensions were high.

"What were you guys texting that you couldn't tell me?!" Finn yelled angrily. Mike and Sam looked uneasy, while Puck looked furious.

"How do we know you didn't tell Rachel to come in here and snoop? Huh?" Puck jabbed his finger into Finn's chest, and suddenly a brawl broke out between both boys.

"Why the fuck can't you guys trust me?!" Finn cried, his face red. He pushed away Puck and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. Mike, Sam, and Puck looked at each other uneasily.

* * *

With Rachel and Kurt, they were confused and pacing around.

"So Santana, Puck, Mike, and Sam must be in cahoots!" Rachel pointed out, recalling the evidence found.

"But don't you find it strange that Satan would team up with Puckerman, Mike, and Sam? Like, of all people…" Kurt retorted weakly.

"What do you think Finn and Blaine are hiding from us?" Rachel asked weakly, plopping down on the sofa. Kurt sighed and sat down beside Rachel.

"As mad as I am, I know they're innocent. They wouldn't hurt a fly." Kurt persuaded Rachel, who sighed.

* * *

The Hardy Boys were confused.

"Santana is scary, yo, but killing someone? That's a whole new level of scary." Artie admitted. Blaine nodded his head quietly.

"But Mike, Sam and Puck are hiding something too." Joe pointed out, pushing back his dreads. They sat together, pondering their suspects.

* * *

_I watched her leave the room at exactly 2:04 AM. She looked nervous as she closed the door, but she walked over to the window. It was the area with the best reception. She opened up her phone, but I moved too quickly. She looked around, and started rubbing her arm nervously. _

_She started tapping some buttons on her phone and brought it close to her ear. Looking around uneasily, she began to whisper something. I rolled my eyes before sneaking in the shadows. Finally, I knew she heard me when she turned around and gasped. It was too late for her: I covered her mouth and dragged her into the elevator. _


	8. Stayin' Alive

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 8: **Stayin' Alive

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

**Thanks To: **It is official. I love you all. Major thanks to PhilosophersStone-123, Santanalover16, dinna agron forves, and HeartOfPinkSol for your reviews! I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Oh, and if you have a Tumblr, follow me at MultivolusLumen! I'll follow back!

* * *

When Santana woke up, the first thing she did was assess her surroundings. She was safe in her room, with Brittany by her side and Tina and Mercedes on the floor, at the foot of the bed. When Santana turned to her side, she was slightly perturbed to see an empty bed; where was Sugar?

Biting her lip nervously, Santana glanced at Brittany. She didn't want to awaken the sleeping angel, but something was telling her that there was something wrong. The sun and the slight breeze in the clean hotel room were almost like a false illusion, and Santana was starting to feel apprehensive.

"Maybe I'm just overthinking things," Santana whispered aloud. She glanced at Brittany once more longingly, wishing she could leave with Brittany and enter that imaginary world that Brittany basically lived in. The reality of the situation hit her: she was performing for Nationals in two days, and the murder mystery had not been solved yet. Mrs. Pillsbury was still missing (evident by the bloodshot eyes of Mr. Schue) and Quinn was still in the hospital. Luckily, Sue had announced that Quinn was stable.

When Santana had heard that, she felt like a weight was lifted off of her. Brittany had given her a feathery kiss and they had embraced happily, hoping to create a positive ripple in the room. It had worked! People had bonded for that quick moment only to rejoice in the happiness that their blonde friend was not dead. Rumor had it that Mrs. Fabray was literally camping out at the hospital.

Santana stretched slightly as she quietly tiptoed over Tina and Mercedes, entering the bathroom. When she returned, she was surprised to see Tina combing her hair. Mercedes and Brittany were still passed out.

"Did I wake you up?" Santana asked calmly, pushing her hair back. Tina shook her head but looked at Santana carefully.

"I've been drifting in and out of sleep," Tina quietly confessed, "last night, around like two o'clock, I thought I heard a scream. But no one else had heard it and you guys were asleep. I thought I was overreacting." Tina shrugged. Santana glanced at Sugar's bed worriedly, but simply pursed her lips. Before Tina could ask why Santana's eyes had wandered toward Sugar's bed, there was a quiet knock at the door. Tina took the initiative and skipped over Mercedes to answer it, slightly surprised to see a crying Coach Beiste.

"Girls, there's something I have to tell ya…" Coach Beiste sniffed as she held a cracked phone in her hand. Santana's heart dropped. Somehow, she knew what Coach Beiste was about to say. And somehow, she knew it would completely ruin all the joy they had with Quinn's condition.

* * *

When all the remaining members of New Directions reached a conference room, there was a terse air of silence over everyone. Mr. Schue looked horrible; his eyes were still red, and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days even though it had only been twenty-four hours since Mrs. Pillsbury had disappeared.

Finn sat by himself in a corner, glaring at everyone apprehensively. He watched Kurt and Rachel whisper to each other quickly, obviously exchanging gossip. Artie, Joe, Blaine, and Rory all sat in another corner, talking amongst themselves. When Puck, Sam, and Mike entered, they avoided Finn's furious glare and sat together, whispering again. That was it. Finn was tired of it.

"Stop!" Finn yelled, surprising Officer Rutherford and Coach Sylvester, both of whom had been whispering, "I'm tired of all the whispering and all of the lies. Why can't we all just stop?!" Finn angrily yelled, pulling at his air. He could feel tears running to the surface of his eyes, but he didn't care. He felt so alone and sick.

He saw Rachel heading toward him, but there was a look of countenance on her face before she stopped short and looked at the floor. No one said anything as Coach Beiste walked in, with a sobbing Santana holding a horrified Brittany. Mercedes and Tina looked depressed as well, walking in sullenly.

"So you all may be wondering why I call you down here so early," Officer Rutherford uneasily started the conversation. Everyone's eyes glanced toward him, curiously staring at him.

"One of your classmates—"

"Sugar!" Rory looked around as the realization sunk into him. Everyone gasped and looked at the four girls, all four suddenly breaking out into hysterical tears. Tina started sputtering something about a scream, but Officer Rutherford cut her short.

"We have some good news, and some bad news," Officer Rutherford placed both of his hands on his buckle carefully, "but yes, Ms. Motta is missing. Her father has been notified." Officer Rutherford's face turned sour upon the mention of Sugar's father, but he neglected to comment further.

"And the good news?" Rory pleaded. Officer Rutherford started chewing his lip, before clicking a remote and pointing to a screen. The previously blank screen turned on and suddenly a low quality picture formed on the screen. It started moving before Finn realized it was a video.

"Hi," Sugar's voice squeaked nervously. Finn shivered as he swore he saw the glint of some tears cascading down Sugar's face. "I know that they're here. I can feel it. I can't run. I hope you guys find this. The killer is—" Suddenly, the video was cut off. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, staring at the television.

"The phone was found cracked outside, and it had Ms. Motta's name engraved in gold," Officer Rutherford explained, "so—"

"There's no good news! Sugar is missing! And the video was too deformed to even show who the killer was." Puck protested, crossing his arms angrily. Officer Rutherford took another deep breath.

"You're right Mr. Puckerman," Officer Rutherford calmly corroborated the scowling teenager, "the good news is small. But let's watch the video again:

"_Hi," Sugar's voice squeaked nervously. "I know that they're here. I can feel it. I can't run. I hope you guys find this. The killer is—"_

Artie was the first to see it, when he suddenly yelled! Before the video was cut off, there was some movement and some blurs. When Finn squinted at the third replay, he saw it too:

"The killer is running their hand through their hair!" Finn exclaimed. Santana shoved past Finn and rolled her eyes.

"Great, so the killer isn't bald. That basically rules out…no one!" Santana argued. Sue tried to calm Santana down, but it was futile.

"No! I'm not going to be calmed down. One of you guys is a psychopath, and you need to leave immediately. Actually," Santana's eyes glinted, "you know what? I challenge you. I challenge the murderer to get me. Make me your next target. I'll go all Lima Heights on you before you can even touch me." Everyone's jaw dropped. Officer Rutherford glanced at Mr. Schue, who seemed somewhat unsurprised.

"Santana, you can't…" Brittany murmured, advancing toward Santana with tears in her eyes. But Santana held up a hand in front of Brittany.

"I have to," Santana eyed everyone, "I have to do it. I want to win. I want to avenge Sugar, Quinn, Mrs. Pillsbury, and everyone. If no one else has the balls to do it, I'll do it." Santana then marched out of the room quick enough to hide her tears and fear. Part of her did want to do this, but part of her was scared. What if she had bit off more than she could chew?

* * *

"Santana?" Mr. Schue's gentle voice arrived at the other side of the door. Santana was cuddling with Brittany silently before she finally opened the door to see her teacher. Like usual, he looked horrible and sick.

"What do you want?" Santana snapped, although she felt as if she came across harsher than she intended. Will sighed as he entered the room, rubbing his hands together.

"Wait, hold up, before you even try to stop me from doing what I'm doing, I want to let you know that—"

"I support what you're doing." Will quietly cut off Santana, surprising Brittany.

"You do?" Santana and Brittany echoed. The girls glanced at each other surprisingly. Santana was expecting the most resistance from Mr. Schue.

"You're brave," Mr. Schue sighed, "and while I've been getting myself drunk and depressed these last few hours over how inept of a teacher I've been, you're actually doing something."

"Mr. Schue, you're awesome." Brittany smiled, although she tried to recall what inept meant. It sounded sad. Mr. Schue replied with a small smile.

"I appreciate your thoughts," Mr. Schue sighed, "but it's not enough. We need to stop whoever is doing this. We don't know where Emma and Sugar are, and Quinn is still unconscious. This needs to stop." Will placed his hands on his hips, looking down at the floor.

"I'll be joining you tonight." Will commented. Santana shook her head quickly, crossing her arms.

"I don't need you to babysit me!" Santana argued. Will, however, shook his head and insisted.

"I'm an adult, and I'm response for you all. If we can put an end to this now, then no one else will be hurt. Besides," Will look at the wall again, pursing his lips. Brittany instantly could tell that he was holding back tears. "if something were to happen to you—any of you—I couldn't handle it." There was a pregnant silence in the room before Santana and Brittany stepped forward to embrace Mr. Schue.

"Thank you." Santana whispered.

* * *

"I can't believe she's gone," Rory moaned. He sat in his bed, his knees huddled to his chest. Joe looked at him sympathetically, but remained silent. Artie rolled over, musing quietly. He had something for Sugar, but the devastation on Rory's face only corroborated how much the leprechaun cared for the hyperactive heiress.

"Rory, it'll be okay." Blaine tried to comfort Rory, but Rory continued to look crestfallen.

"I lied to her. I told her I was being deported. That was just a lie, so she wouldn't flock to you!" Rory sobbed, pointing at Artie accusingly. Artie arched an eyebrow with confusion.

"Look, I know we aren't exactly best friends, but I wouldn't try and steal yo woman." Artie held up his hands, as if he was surrendering. It was true. Artie wouldn't try and break any relationships when both of his previous ones had been broken.

"Blaine, Artie, can you tell me something?" Rory asked through a film of tears. Blaine and Artie eyed each other apprehensively before nodding their heads.

"What's wrong, Rory?" Blaine asked, although he realized it was a bad question. Rory didn't seem to mind, as he tried to control his tears.

"What were you two doing anyways? I only know that Kurt and Mercedes were drinking a lot, but aside from that, no one else has told anyone their secret of that night." Rory murmured. Blaine and Artie sighed together.

"I was talking to Artie about Kurt," Blaine made his way to the edge of the bed, sitting on it gently. "I was worried that after the Chandler debacle, he would…cheat on me again." Blaine looked at the ground sadly.

"I was learning to fist-fight from Blaine," Artie confessed. Joe and Rory actually looked surprised. "Next year, a lot of the guys won't be here. I'm tired of being coddled and I want to protect myself. I didn't want to ask Finn or the other guys, so I asked Blaine." There were several nods of understanding.

"The knife?" Joe asked.

"We found it." Blaine sighed, looking at Artie. "We didn't know what was going to happen, but it was near the trashcan near the gymnasium. We just picked it up to put it away, and we started making horrible jokes with it."

"Like?" Rory piped in calmly, his tears starting to dry.

"It's stupid." Artie looked away. Joe and Rory continued to gawk at the two boys until they broke their resolve. Finally, Blaine confessed.

"We had a game about killing the members of the New Directions," Blaine quickly admitted, "but it was just a game. We were joking about how Rachel was too obnoxious and how Santana was too much of a bitch and stuff. I promise, it was just a joke." Blaine looked at Joe with hope in his eyes that the Teen Jesus would believe him.

"What do you think about what Santana's doing?" Joe inquired apprehensively. Blaine closed his eyes, while Artie looked away. Rory's tears started coming down faster.

"We're all scared." Artie observed.

* * *

That night, Santana sat in the hallway with her phone, a switchblade in her boots, and a picture of Brittany in her palm. Brittany tried to insist that the whole idea was stupid, but Santana refused to listen. She argued that it was for Brittany that she was doing this.

On the other side of the corridor was Mr. Schue, also sitting on the ground. He had several sheets of music beside him, observing the perfect song to select for their performance. Rehearsals had been abysmal, with everyone avoiding each other and refusing to even acknowledge each other.

"Do you think anything's going to happen?" Santana twiddled a strand of her hair, staring at her teacher. She had never really hated Mr. Schue: in fact, he was supportive during the Salazar ad, and he really did try to help her. Sure, he was stupid sometimes, but who wasn't?

"Hopefully not." Mr. Schue murmured.

* * *

"Why can't you fucking tell me what your secrets are?" Finn yelled angrily, pushing Puck against the wall. Puck pushed Finn back and the two began struggling. Sam and Mike tried pulling the boys off of each other, but both were much stronger and bigger.

"Is little Finny mad?" Puck argued, "I know you're guilty of something! Why don't you tell us why you threw away that bloodied sweater? Why did you kill Andrea, Ms. Pillsbury, Quinn, and Sugar?!" Puck yelled loudly, jabbing a fist into Finn's chest. Finn roared and threw Puck off him roughly.

"I didn't kill ANYONE!" Finn argued, tears streaming down his red face, "I'm innocent! But you three, you three are such liars!" Finn pointed his trembling finger at Sam, Mike, and Puck.

"Dude, look, we just can't tell you." Mike tried to assuage Finn, but Finn simply shoved him back. Sam tried to control Finn, but Finn pushed him away too.

"I'm done with all of you!" Finn yelled, slamming the door as he left. Puck rolled his eyes before looking at Mike and Sam.

"I'm going for a walk."

* * *

Santana and Will heard the door slam, and they heard someone sobbing. Santana tiptoed toward the corridor and saw Finn wiping his eyes. Deciding not to disturb Frankenteen, Santana walked back to her area with Will.

"It's just Finn blubbering over something stupid." Santana shrugged. Will looked concerned, but he pursed his lips. He had to remain calm. He returned back to his sheet music, looking longingly at the other hallway.

Santana started to doze off, getting bored. The two had been sitting in the hallway for almost two hours now, and nothing had happened.

"I'm going to get some coffee." Santana announced as she got up and stretched her stiff limbs. Will looked at Santana worriedly, but she shrugged it off.

"I'll be fine. I'm just going down the elevator and straight to the restaurant. I'll be back in five." Santana walked as quickly as she could to the elevator and pressed the button to the restaurant.

As she ordered two hot cups of coffee, she thought about something: she had forgotten her phone upstairs! It was a dumb mistake, and she needed to get it soon. What if B needed her?

Not even thanking the barista, Santana took the two cups and ran to the elevator again, jamming the button until the door opened. By the time she entered the hallway, she knew something was wrong. Mr. Schue was holding Santana's phone against his ear, his face visibly pale.

"Mr. Schue?" Santana asked curiously, holding the two cups of coffee tightly.

"We missed it." Mr. Schue whispered as tears started to stream down his face. Santana arched an eyebrow as Mr. Schue pressed the speaker button on her phone:

"_Santana, it's me, Puck. Look, I know you're upstairs, but I think I'm being followed by someone in black and -"_ The phone suddenly dropped and Santana dropped her coffees as she heard Puck's voice scream through the phone.

The killer had struck Puck!


	9. Somebody That I Used To Know

**Supposed To Be Our Time**

By SomniusLumen

**Chapter 9: **Somebody That I Used To Know

**Summary:** It was supposed to be their time. They were finally going to win Nationals and no longer would New Directions be tormented. But when a series of seemingly unrelated murders begin occurring at the Chicago hotel, New Directions must win or else pay the cost: their lives. Klaine, Brittana, Finchel, Fabrevan, Tike.

**Thanks To: **You guys are DA BEST! I want to personally thank Nayahogleek, Hayley95, LifeIsWanky, Dianna Agron Foreves, BrittanaHeyaLover, Santanalover16, and PhilsophersStone-123! We're almost at 3,000 views! Oh my gosh, that is simply crazy! Thank you all so much! I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Oh! And happy new year!

* * *

_Not even thanking the barista, Santana took the two cups and ran to the elevator again, jamming the button until the door opened. By the time she entered the hallway, she knew something was wrong. Mr. Schue was holding Santana's phone against his ear, his face visibly pale._

"_Mr. Schue?" Santana asked curiously, holding the two cups of coffee tightly._

"_We missed it." Mr. Schue whispered as tears started to stream down his face. Santana arched an eyebrow as Mr. Schue pressed the speaker button on her phone:_

"_Santana, it's me, Puck. Look, I know you're upstairs, but I think I'm being followed by someone in black and -" The phone suddenly dropped and Santana dropped her coffees as she heard Puck's voice scream through the phone. _

When Officer Rutherford finally arrived, the air was tense. Not that it was official or anything, but Puck was the male Santana (and vice versa) and everyone in Glee Club knew not to mess with either. Yet, somehow, this killer had managed to do both. Not only did the killer fool Santana and Will into camping out in the hallway all night, but they managed to maul Puck.

Aside from that, Santana noticed the divide spreading even more now. Sure, her Trebletonics were still tight, even with Sugar missing. Rachel and Kurt were still BFFL's, and the random assortment of boys led by Artie seemed close as well. But it was the jocks that seemed antsy.

Perhaps it was just because Puck was a part of their clan, but Santana saw something else. She saw Sam and Mike angrily eyeing Finn, as if he was guilty. It didn't help that the Pillsbury Dough Boy looked pale and sick.

"This is getting out of hand, William," Sue barked, "I mean, I can't even close my eyes for one second without one of your drag queen baboons killing someone?" Will pinched the bridge of his nose to keep calm, but even Santana felt that the joke was in bad taste.

"Mr. Officer Rutherford?" Rachel nervously raised her trembling arm, wiping her tears. Santana almost wanted to roll her eyes, but she did gingerly recall that Puck somehow found Ru Paul attractive and they almost did hook up.

"Yes, Ms. Berry?" Officer Rutherford sighed wistfully, bags forming under his eyes. Rachel started to twist one of her hair strands nervously. She was clearly afraid of what was going to happen.

"Quinn is still in the hospital, unconscious," Rachel slowly selected her choice of words, "Ms. Pillsbury, Sugar, and Puck are all missing. But is it possible to assume that they are actually…" Rachel trailed off, clearly not wanting to say the word.

"Dead." Santana crossed her arms and glared at Rachel. She heard people gasp at her brazenness, but when Brittany squeezed her hand, she didn't need anything else. "You can say the word, Berry. It's not a disease. But you know what? Maybe your fiancé might have a disease, am I right?" Santana took another step toward Finn who was trying to concentrate on the ground. Everyone gasped and even Rachel looked confused.

"You were crying last night like a little baby, weren't you?" Santana continued to jab her finger into Finn's chest.

"YES!" Finn finally yelled, shoving Santana back slightly. Finn's face had gone from a sickly pale to a dark red. Tears were racing down his face as he struggled to wipe them with his trembling hands. Mike and Sam continued to glower at Finn.

"What is wrong with all of you people?! Do you really think that I could kill my best friend?!" Finn croaked, trying to look at everyone in the eye. Some people, like Tina and Artie, looked away. Rachel and Kurt, however, looked at Finn carefully, as if trying to read his mind.

"He wasn't your best friend when he got your girl pregnant sophomore year." Mercedes snapped.

"And didn't he make out with Rachel in our junior year while you two were dating?" Mike hissed, crossing his arms.

"SO?!" Finn bellowed again, his voice clearly dry. He then looked at Beiste, who was sobbing as quietly as she could. Will looked at Finn with moist eyes as well.

"I. Did. Not. Kill. My. Best. Friend." Finn replied in breaths. Sam then walked forward, shoving past Finn.

"He got into an argument with Puck last night!" Sam pointed his finger at Finn accusingly.

"What?" Kurt whispered, placing his hand over his lips.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Finn yelled back, shoving Sam. Sam growled and tried to tackle Finn to the ground, both boys struggling against each other. Sue started bellowing while Officer Rutherford and Mike tried to break them apart. Once the two were separated, Finn stood panting in a corner.

"What was your argument with Puck about?" Santana spoke as calmly as she could as to not break her voice. Finn looked at Santana for a moment, his eyes trying to convey a message. Santana unfortunately didn't understand.

"They're keeping secrets from me!" Finn pointed toward Mike and Sam. Brittany shrugged calmly.

"We all keep secrets from each other, Finn, but that's not an excuse to kill anyone." Brittany looked disappointed and Finn growled in disappointment.

"Finn, did you do it?" Rachel walked forward, cupping Finn's face. They looked at each other for a moment before Rachel started crying hysterically. Everyone seemed unfazed as her familiar stomping was heard, and no one even flinched when she slammed the door. Kurt tiptoed away from the group, knocking on the door.

"Son, I'm afraid I'm going to have to bring you down to the office." Officer Rutherford sighed. At this, Finn started to panic and shake his hands, yelling loudly. Even Kurt left Rachel's door to try and protest, but Officer Rutherford was having none of the Hudson-Hummel assault.

"ENOUGH." Officer Rutherford yelled, "I'm tired of you kids squabbling and arguing like this is a joke. One student was found dead, one adult is missing, one student is in the hospital, and two others are missing. If you're innocent, Mr. Hudson, then you have nothing to worry about. Now please, follow me." Everyone watched quietly as Finn followed behind Officer Rutherford, his head bowed and tears falling to the ground. He was sniffling loudly and looked crestfallen.

"Mr. Schue," Artie suddenly wheeled over to the distressed teacher, "there's some more bad news. Count how many people we have..."

* * *

The pressure was high. The stakes were immense. According to the rulebooks, there needed to be twelve students on the show choir team. With only Rachel, Kurt, Sam, Mike, Joe, Rory, Artie, Blaine, Mercedes, Tina, Brittany, and Santana present, they could not afford to lose any more members.

"At least Finn's gone," Tina quipped, wiping her tears. It was a bittersweet moment, although more on the bitter side. Kurt looked sick while Rachel had only stopped crying loudly to preserve her voice. Mike and Sam looked cold and distant, and Santana even overheard an argument between Mercedes and Sam about the fact that they can no longer trust each other. Artie and Blaine looked depressed, while Joe and Rory looked confused.

"Do you really think he could kill someone?" Mercedes shook her heads, sniffing loudly. She grabbed another tissue and blew her nose in it. Santana grimaced but took the box from the girl. Surprisingly, she couldn't find any tears. The case was over, right? Finn was the murderer, and there was not going to be any killings tonight.

"I dunno. It makes sense why he would attack Quinn and Puck, although he must have been really mad to keep on holding on to that anger for three years. But why would he attack Sugar and that other girl?" Brittany cocked her head to the left, clearly confused.

"Who cares?" Santana quipped. The three girls looked somewhat shocked by Santana's blunt coldness.

"Santana, are you okay?" Tina asked quietly. Santana quickly shot the Asian girl a deathly glower, silencing her. But Mercedes spoke up against her.

"What's wrong? You can trust us, Santana." Mercedes spoke in between sniffs.

"Something doesn't make sense to me," Santana tapped her chin, "I saw Finn crying in the hallway, right? Like two hours later, I went down for coffee for Mr. Schue and I, and when I came back, that's when we heard the voicemail."

"So?" Tina asked.

"So, if Finn and Puck share a room, right? And Finn is outside in the hallway, crying, then Puck must have been inside the room, right?" Santana looked at the ceiling, inwardly hoping it would help her collect her thoughts. She was on to something, but she didn't know what.

"I guess." Mercedes shrugged, still confused.

"But then Puck left the hotel, right? And I don't recall hearing Finn's blubbering after a while and—"

"Santana, what are you trying to say?" Brittany interrupted Santana, her eyes starting to fill with concern. Santana sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't think Finn killed Puck. I think Finn was in his room, crying." Santana shrugged.

"But you seemed so sure that it was him!" Tina vehemently argued, but Santana shook her head again.

"I was caught up in the moment, but I'm trying to think of something. Brittany, pull out that book about M, please?" Brittany nodded gleefully and pulled out the notebook that she had been writing clues in to target M.

_M knew what Quinn was singing at Sectionals_. Santana read Brittany's handwriting. Santana then grabbed a pen and started scribbling some more clues that she recalled.

_M has targeted Andrea Cohen, Emma Pillsbury, Quinn Fabray, Sugar Motta, and Noah Puckerman_. Santana neatly scribed. Mercedes then cleared her throat.

"Don't you remember that they forged Ms. Pillsbury's signature nearly perfectly? And that they knew Q was in the hospital?" Mercedes intoned. Santana nodded and wrote that down as well.

_M knows Quinn is in the hospital._

_M forged Emma Pillsbury's signature_.

"I have an idea," Tina suddenly looked at the girls. "We still don't know what Blaine, Artie, Sam, Mike, and Rachel were doing in that video Officer Rutherford showed us."

"Your point, girl?" Mercedes raised an eyebrow.

"We have only a bit of time left. We have to find the real murderer and pin them. If we can get their alibi's as well, we can honestly evaluate what everyone was doing and ponder it over." Tina pushed back several of her highlighted strands. Santana giggled in happiness, hugging Tina. It was a brilliant idea!

"So covert operations?" Santana gleamed. Tina nodded excitedly, hugging Santana back. Brittany looked somewhat confused.

"What does that mean?"

"We're going undercover, B." Santana smiled.

* * *

Brittany was up first. She was so innocent and naïve that she was their best weapon. No one would suspect that she was trying to fish for information. So when she skipped down the hallway to Artie and Blaine's room, no one suspected a thing. Brittany, however, was prepped. In her pocket was her phone with Santana on the other line, muted. Tina had her laptop open, prepared to record their entire conversation.

Knocking on the door, Brittany smiled. She loved the way the gold on the door shimmered under the lights, reflecting her radiant self beautifully. Santana would have loved to see this.

"Brittany?" Blaine answered the door, somewhat puzzled. Brittany giggled as she walked into the room, drumming her fingers on Blaine Warbler's shoulders as she danced right past him and plopped on their bed. Artie also rolled over, dressed in his pajamas.

"Brittany, is everything okay?" Artie asked slowly, eyeing Blaine. Brittany nodded and swung her legs slightly before getting up again.

"I just want to ask you guys something, since we're all friends." Brittany placed a hand on her hip and leaned back slightly, trying to look as relaxed as possible. It looked easier on TV.

"Um, sure." Artie shrugged.

"So I'm trying to get Lord Tubbington to give up his crack addiction," Brittany admitted calmly, "and his rehab counselor told me that he needs to accept that he's addicted, y'know? Honesty." Brittany rambled, playing the part perfectly. She knew San would reward her for being a kickass actress.

"I'm really, uh, proud of you, Brittany!" Blaine Warbler smiled. Brittany shrugged and plopped herself on the bed again.

"Okay, so I just want to get something straight because I get so confused. When someone is smiling, they're happy right?" Brittany drummed her chin, looking up at the clock on the wall. Artie and Blaine both affirmed it.

"And when someone is mad, they—"

"They frown." Artie slowly explained to the blonde cheerleader, who nodded.

"When someone is sad, they—"

"They cry." Blaine Warbler answered simply, completely unaware of Brittany's amazing plan.

"Right. So if I saw Lord Tubbington crying, what should I do?" Brittany crossed her legs slightly and tried to look as elegant as possible.

"Um, you could ask him what's wrong." Artie scratched the back of his head.

"What if he won't tell me?" Brittany raised an eyebrow, "since crack makes you lie a lot too."

"You should sit down with him and let him know that you care and you want to help." Blaine Warbler suggested. Brittany nodded.

"Can I try it out?" Brittany cocked her head slightly, looking at Blaine. Blaine shrugged and nodded his head.

"Blaine Warbler, why were you crying?" Brittany tried to speak in her deepest voice possible.

"Uh, I, um…" Blaine looked away and tried to think of a story, but Brittany knew he was trying to think of a lie.

"Blaine Warbler, why were you crying in the movie?" Brittany leaned forward and smiled. Artie suddenly coughed, and Blaine looked confused.

"Wait, Brittany, did Santana put you—"

"No! I'm doing it for Lord Tubbington, unless you don't care about helping cats with crack addictions!" Brittany argued. Blaine blinked and then looked down at the table.

"Well, I was crying because they ran out of my favorite dessert."

"Blaine Warbler, that's a lie. But I'm here for you, I care about you, and I want to help." Brittany smiled, placing her hand over Blaine's. Blaine gulped loudly.

"I, I just felt a bit insecure about my relationship with Kurt. After the whole Chandler debacle, I was afraid I was going to lose him again. So then I decided to talk to Artie about it." Blaine pointed at Artie, who was carefully watching the conversation.

"I see. Artie, can you confirm this?" Brittany asked as if she was a reporter. Artie looked somewhat amused and nodded his head.

"What advice did you give him? In case Lord Tubbington gets another cat pregnant again." Brittany inquired curiously. Artie cleared his throat.

"Well, I told him that he should be confident. That Kurt was miserable before he came here and that Kurt loves him." Artie blushed slightly.

"Did you tell him that sitting down or were you guys dancing or something?" Brittany raised an eyebrow with skepticism.

"We were just at the gym—" Blaine immediately shut his mouth the moment he said the word gym. Brittany smiled and looked at the two boys.

"What were you two doing at the gym? I thought robots weren't allowed. And I'm pretty sure the gym bans hair gel." Brittany tried to look as fierce.

"Um, well I was kind of learning some stuff from Blaine." Artie held a small smile, trying to avoid the awkward conversation.

"Are you guys gay together?!" Brittany leaned forward, her mouth wide open. Blaine and Artie quickly shook their heads.

"N-No!" Artie yelled loudly, looking at Blaine nervously.

"If you won't tell me what he was teaching you, then I will tell Kurt that you two are having an affair. And he'll believe me, because we made out once." Brittany crossed her arms angrily. Blaine sighed wistfully.

"Artie wanted to learn how to defend himself against bullies, so he asked me for help." Blaine answered. Artie looked ashamed, and suddenly Brittany felt something tug at her heart. She bent down to look at Artie, and lifting his chin, she looked into his eyes.

"You don't have to worry about that, okay? Because if anyone tries to touch you, I'll go Kardashian on them while you blast them with your missiles and Blaine shoots his hair gel at them. You are always going to be protected by us." Brittany smiled, ruffling Artie's hair.

After making a bit more small talk, Brittany realized her mission was over. Once she left the room, she picked up her phone and spoke into the receiver.

"Mission Accomplished. Mercedes, you're up next."

* * *

_Excellent. Now that Finn's out of my way…_


End file.
